Two pi-conjugated small molecules based on diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP), DPP4T and DPP2F2T, were synthesized using the Suzuki coupling reaction. DPP4T and DPP2F2T contained furan and thiophene, respectively, next to a DPP core. Organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs) were fabricated using two DPP-based oligothiophenes as donors. DPP4T showed higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) (1.44%) than DPP2F2T (0.85%). The short-circuit current (J(SC)) of DPP4T (4.38 mA cm(-2)) was nearly twice that of DPP2F2T (2.49 mA cm(-2)). The improved photovoltaic properties of DPP4T could be explained by the optical properties and the film morphology. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.