Advanced Polymeric and Small-Molecule Materials for Photovoltaics: Design, Synthesis and Functional Properties
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 302
Editors
Interests: conjugated polymers and small compounds; photovoltaics; perovskite solar cells; dye-sensitized solar cells; bulk-heterojunction solar cells
Interests: semiconducting materials; spectroscopic and thermal analysis of small molecules and polymers; electrochemistry in optoelectronic applications; organic solar cells; hybrid solar cells
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The 21st century is a time of tremendous development of new, advanced functional materials with unique properties and application potential as components of optoelectronic systems. Specifically, the dynamic development of photovoltaic technologies observed in recent years is a response to the growing demand for clean and sustainable energy sources. Third-generation solar cells are gaining particular importance, as they go beyond the limitations of traditional silicon-based solutions, opening up new possibilities in terms of efficiency, flexibility, and production costs.
This Special Issue focuses on recent advances in the molecular design, synthesis, functionalization, and characterization of polymeric materials and small molecules for photovoltaic applications. We aim to bring together original research articles, communications, and review papers that address the fundamental and applied aspects of these materials with particular emphasis on structure–property relationships at the molecular level, as well as their impact on device performance and long-term stability. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Design and synthesis of conjugated polymers and small-molecule semiconductors;
- Donor–acceptor systems and molecular engineering strategies;
- Materials for organic photovoltaics (OPVs) and hybrid solar cells;
- Interfaces and charge transport layers in photovoltaic devices;
- Perovskite-inspired and hybrid materials incorporating organic components;
- Morphology control and thin-film processing techniques;
- Characterization of optical, electronic, and photovoltaic properties;
- Device fabrication, optimization, and performance analysis;
- Stability, degradation mechanisms, and lifetime improvement;
- Scalable fabrication methods and printing technologies.
We also encourage submissions that address interdisciplinary approaches combining experimental and theoretical studies, particularly those that provide insight into molecular-level phenomena and their relevance to practical photovoltaic applications.
Dr. Agnieszka Katarzyna Pająk
Dr. Sonia Kotowicz
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- organic semiconductors
- conjugated polymers
- small molecules
- inorganic/organic hybrid materials
- photonics and optoelectronics
- photovoltaics
- third-generation solar cells
- dye-sensitized solar cells
- perovskite solar cells
- bulk-heterojunction solar cells
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