Scientists at the University of Surrey have accomplished record power transformation efficacies for big area organic solar cells. In present years, researchers have been focusing to enhance the effectiveness of such cells to enable commercial applications like integration into a building’s glass façade, producing electricity to power building.

The study was headed by the University of Surrey’s Advanced Technology Institute (ATI) in association with Oxford University, University of Stuttgart, Germany and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. The research is a component of SMARTONICS, a 4-year European Commission or FP7 program focused at introducing big – scale pilot lines for the fabrication and printing of organic polymer solar cells.

The results illustrate that dependencies between the physical and chemical properties of the photoactive layer’s building blocks within the organic solar cells identify the effectiveness of such solar cells. By utilizing a well – known and less expensive electron donating substance or P3HT in link with an electron accepting substance or ICBA for the photosensitive substance of the organic cells, the scientific group identified that varying ICBA samples comprises of dissimilar isomeric mixtures. Such characteristics are crucial for the bonding of kinetics and spatial arrangement of P3HT and ICBA in their photosensitive link and result in varying power conversion results.

Structuring the process of fabrication based on such results, the scientific group were able to enhance the efficacy of their solar cells from around 2.2% to 6.7%. It is one of the biggest efficiencies to have been illustrated for P3HT blends on big – scale device.

Lecturer Ravi Silva, corresponding author and also the Director of ATI stated that, “Solar cells prepared from organic substances have range of benefits over conventional inorganic solar cells and the benefits increase when the organic is P3HT, the fruit fly for organic solar cells. Not just they are flexible, environment – friendly, but they are also lightweight and can be design – friendly as they can be printed in distinct shapes and colors.

Moreover, as compared to their inorganic competitors, they transform effectively indirect sunlight that makes them a suitable substance to power devices on the motion, like for the Internet of Things. Our team is looking forward to expand scientists in this regard, with more number of researchers and PhD students that have such a great impact on society.

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