Releasing the hidden shift current in the TTF-CA organic molecular solid via symmetry lowering

Abstract

Bulk photovoltaic effect, characterized by an excitation-driven unbiased spontaneous photocurrent, has attracted substantial attention mainly due to its potential for harvesting solar energy. Here, we investigate the photovoltaic characteristics of organic molecular solids and focus on the association between the photocurrent and the crystal symmetry in the exemplary case of tetrathiafulvalene-p-chloranil. We perform comprehensive first-principles calculations, including direct evaluations of the excited-state current via real-time propagations of the time-dependent density functional theory. We find that the charge shifting in the low-temperature phase is mainly driven by the intrachain ferroelectricity, which gives rise to a photocurrent not only in the visible-light range but also near the band-edge infrared region. The shift current that is locked in the symmetry of the high-temperature phase can be released by introducing a potential asymmetry. We suggest that organic molecular solids can be exploited via appropriate engineering to lower the symmetry, aiming at room-temperature photovoltaics.