Organic solar cells developed on steel substrates can convert a steel roof into an energy-producing device

Source: The post is based on the article “Organic solar cells developed on steel substrates can convert a steel roof into an energy-producing device” published in the PIB on 24th December 2022. 

What is the News?

Scientists have developed organic solar cell devices consisting of a blend of organic polymer (PTB7) as a donor and (PCBM) organic semiconductor as an acceptor.

About the third-generation solar cell technologies

These are solution-processed Solar Cells based on semiconducting organic macromolecules, inorganic nanoparticles or hybrids. These technologies lie in their integration with flexible and conformal surfaces.

However, this integration requires developing new top transparent conducting electrodes as alternatives to indium tin oxide, an optoelectronic material currently in use.

The present materials pose limitations because of their brittleness and their optoelectronic efficiency varies with temperature.

About the recent research on organic solar cells

Recently developed organic solar cell devices consisting of a combination of an organic polymer and organic semiconductor developed on steel substrates. Scientists demonstrated the integration of multi-layered electrodes with organic solar cells.

Advantages: a) The new electrodes offer higher optical transmission as compared to only metallic electrodes, b) The devices with multilayer electrodes showed a clear improvement in the photovoltaic performance by 1.5 times, as compared with those obtained with single-layer top metal electrodes of gold, and c) The new organic solar cells can convert a steel roof into an energy-producing device.