Perylene diimide as organic photovoltaic acceptor materials

Perylene diimide is a typical n-type semiconductor material, which possesses high electron mobility and strong absorption in visible region as well as high optical and thermal stability. In recent years, perylene diimide and its derivatives have been well applied to organic photovoltaic cells. In this article, the structures and properties of perylene diimide and its derivatives are introduced. The recent progress in the studies of perylene diimide acceptor materials,including small molecule perylene diimide, perylene diimide acceptor-containing D-A bi-functional molecules and donor-acceptor block copolymers containing perylene diimide acceptor segments in the organic photovoltaic cells is reviewed.