As organic solar cell technology matures, efficiencies will likely increase steadily, in much the way personal computers have evolved.
Bringing everything together, Sir Harry Kroto, Nobel Laureate for Chemistry and our Past President, talks on BBC World News about the future of renewable energy and how advances in harvesting the energy of the sun, such
as organic solar cells and artificial photosynthesis, are being inspired by nature.
Not exact matches
One type, known
as plastic,
organic or polymer photovoltaic
solar cells, uses conductive
organic polymers or
organic molecules to absorb light, transfer the charge and produce electricity.
Metal
organic frameworks (MOFs) are proving to be incredibly flexible with a myriad of potential applications including
as antimicrobial agents, hydrogen - storage materials and
solar -
cell components.
To construct the
solar cell, the semiconductor molecules are deposited
as thin films on glass with the same production methods used by
organic light - emitting diode manufacturers.
In a semi-transparent
solar cell module
as shown in the photograph, electrodes with two variants of the polymer PEDOT: PSS (commonly used in
organic electronics) are used, where one acts
as the anode and the other is modified to become the cathode.
Doctoral student and first author Tim Gehan says that
organic solar cells made in this way can be semi-transparent,
as well, «so you could replace tinted windows in a skyscraper and have them all producing electricity during the day when it's needed.
The new method should reduce the time nano manufacturing firms spend in trial - and - error searches for materials to make electronic devices such
as solar cells,
organic transistors and
organic light - emitting diodes.
This novel technique and the information it provides have significant implications for future transport property manipulation in electronic devices featuring
organic molecules, such
as solar cells and light - emitting diodes.
The
organic electronics field is gaining prominence in both academia and industry
as devices such
as organic light - emitting diodes and
solar cells have multiple advantages over conventional inorganic devices, including much lower potential production costs and broader substrate compatibility.
Organic electronic devices such
as OLEDs and
organic solar cells use thin films of
organic molecules for the electrically active materials, making flexible and low - cost devices possible.
Therefore,
organic dyes are promising lightweight materials for application
as e.g.
organic semiconductors, but also in for instance LCD displays or
solar cells.
Using Argonne's Advanced Photon Source, researchers analyzed how
organic solar cells» crystal structures develop
as they are produced under different conditions.
Research in the Bredas group focuses on computational materials chemistry: computational methods are used
as a tool to uncover the properties of novel advanced materials, understand their chemistry and physics, and derive an integrated understanding of the intrinsic molecular - and nano - scale processes in a variety of emerging applications (such
as solar cells or low - power displays), especially in the fields of
organic electronics, photonics, and information technology.
The limitation with previous dye sensitized
solar cells is they required a volatile
organic solvent
as the electrolyte.