Electronic states and molecular orientation of ITIC film

ITIC is the milestone of non-fullerene small molecule acceptors used in organic solar cells. We study the electronic states and molecular orientation of ITIC film using photoelectron spectroscopy and x-ray absorption spectroscopy. The negative integer charge transfer energy level is determined to be 4.00±0.05 eV below the vacuum level, and the ionization potential is 5.75±0.10 eV. The molecules predominantly have the face-on orientation on inert substrates as long as the surfaces of the substrates are not too rough. These results provide the physical understanding of the high performance of ITIC-based solar cells, which also afford implications to design more advanced photovoltaic small molecules.