Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Alternating Copolymers and Alternative Device Geometries for Organic Photovoltaics

  • Published:
AMBIO Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The efficiency of conversion of light to electrical energy with the help of conjugated polymers and molecules is rapidly improving. The optical absorption properties of these materials can be designed, and implemented via molecular engineering. Full coverage of the solar spectrum is thus feasible. Narrow absorption spectra allow construction of tandem solar cells. The poor transport properties of these materials require thin devices, which limits optical absorption. Alternative device geometries for these flexible materials compensate for the optical absorption by light trapping, and allow tandem cells.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Blankenship, R.E., D.M. Tiede, J. Barber, G.W. Brudvig, G. Fleming, M. Ghirardi, M.R. Gunner, W. Junge, et al. 2011. Comparing photosynthetic and photovoltaic efficiencies and recognizing the potential for improvement. Science 332: 805–809.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, T.M., and J.R. Durrant. 2010. Charge photogeneration in organic solar cells. Chemical Reviews 110: 6736–6767.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Deibel, C., and V. Dyakonov. 2010. Polymer-fullerene bulk heterojunction solar cells. Reports on Progress in Physics 73: 096401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deibel, C., V. Dyakonov, and C.J. Brabec. 2010. Organic bulk-heterojunction solar cells. IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics 16: 1517–1527.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dennler, G., M.C. Scharber, and C.J. Brabec. 2009. Polymer-fullerene bulk-heterojunction solar cells. Advanced Materials 21: 1323–1338.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gadisa, A., M. Svensson, M.R. Andersson, and O. Inganäs. 2004. Correlation between oxidation potential and open-circuit voltage of composite solar cells based on blends of polythiophenes/fullerene derivative. Applied Physics Letters 84: 1609–1611.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Green, M.A., K. Emery, Y. Hishikawa, and W. Warta. 2011. Solar cell efficiency tables (version 37). Progress in Photovoltaics 19: 84–92.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Halls, J.J.M., C.A. Walsh, N.C. Greenham, E.A. Marseglia, R.H. Friend, S.C. Moratti, and A.B. Holmes. 1995. Efficient photodiodes from interpenetrating polymer networks. Nature 376: 498–500.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Inganäs, O. 2011. Organic photovoltaics: avoiding indium. Nature Photonics 5: 201–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Inganäs, O., F.L. Zhang, and M.R. Andersson. 2009. Alternating polyfluorenes collect solar light in polymer photovoltaics. Accounts of Chemical Research 42: 1731–1739.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Inganäs, O., F.L. Zhang, K. Tvingstedt, L.M. Andersson, S. Hellström, M.R., and Andersson. 2010. Polymer photovoltaics with alternating copolymer/fullerene blends and novel device architectures. Advanced Materials 22: E100–E116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pettersson, L.A.A., L.S. Roman, and O. Inganäs. 1999. Modeling photocurrent action spectra of photovoltaic devices based on organic thin films. Journal of Applied Physics 86: 487–496.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ruani, G., C. Fontanini, M. Murgia, and C. Taliani. 2002. Weak intrinsic charge transfer complexes: A new route for developing wide spectrum organic photovoltaic cells. Journal of Chemical Physics 116: 1713–1719.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Service, R.F. 2011. Outlook brightens for plastic solar cells. Science 332: 293–293.

    Google Scholar 

  • Svensson, M., F.L. Zhang, S.C. Veenstra, W.J.H. Verhees, J.C. Hummelen, J.M. Kroon, O. Inganäs, and M.R. Andersson. 2003. High-performance polymer solar cells of an alternating polyfluorene copolymer and a fullerene derivative. Advanced Materials 15: 988–991.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, C.W. 1986. 2-Layer organic photovoltaic cell. Applied Physics Letters 48: 183–185.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tvingstedt, K., V. Andersson, F. Zhang, and O. Inganäs. 2007a. Folded reflective tandem polymer solar cell doubles efficiency. Applied Physics Letters 91: 123514.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tvingstedt, K., N.K. Persson, O. Inganäs, A. Rahachou, and I.V. Zozoulenko. 2007b. Surface plasmon increase absorption in polymer photovoltaic cells. Applied Physics Letters 91: 113514.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tvingstedt, K., S. Dal Zilio, O. Inganäs, and M. Tormen. 2008. Trapping light with micro lenses in thin film organic photovoltaic cells. Optics Express 16: 21608–21615.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tvingstedt, K., K. Vandewal, A. Gadisa, F.L. Zhang, J. Manca, and O. Inganäs. 2009. Electroluminescence from charge transfer states in polymer solar cells. Journal of the American Chemical Society 131: 11819–11824.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tvingstedt, K., K. Vandewal, F.L. Zhang, and O. Inganäs. 2010. On the dissociation efficiency of charge transfer excitons and Frenkel excitons in organic solar cells: A luminescence quenching study. Journal of Physical Chemistry C 114: 21824–21832.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vandewal, K., K. Tvingstedt, A. Gadisa, O. Inganäs, and J.V. Manca. 2009. On the origin of the open-circuit voltage of polymer-fullerene solar cells. Nature Materials 8: 904–909.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vandewal, K., K. Tvingstedt, A. Gadisa, O. Inganäs, and J.V. Manca. 2010a. Relating the open-circuit voltage to interface molecular properties of donor:acceptor bulk heterojunction solar cells. Physical Review B 81: 125204.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vandewal, K., K. Tvingstedt, J.V. Manca, and O. Inganäs. 2010b. Charge-transfer states and upper limit of the open-circuit voltage in polymer: Fullerene organic solar cells. IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics 16: 1676–1684.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, E.G., L.T. Hou, Z.Q. Wang, S. Hellström, F.L. Zhang, O. Inganäs, and M.R. Andersson. 2010a. An easily synthesized blue polymer for high-performance polymer solar cells. Advanced Materials 22: 5240–5244.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, E.G., L.T. Hou, Z.Q. Wang, S. Hellström, W. Mammo, F.L. Zhang, O. Inganäs, and M.R. Andersson. 2010b. Small band gap polymers synthesized via a modified nitration of 4,7-dibromo-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole. Organic Letters 12: 4470–4473.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, E.G., Z.F. Ma, Z. Zhang, K. Vandewal, P. Henriksson, O. Inganas, F.L. Zhang, and M.R. Andersson. 2011. An easily accessible isoindigo-based polymer for high-performance polymer solar cells. Journal of the American Chemical Society 133: 14244–14247.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yu, G., J. Gao, J.C. Hummelen, F. Wudl, and A.J. Heeger. 1995. Polymer photovoltaic cells-enhanced efficiencies via a network of internal donor–acceptor heterojunctions. Science 270: 1789–1791.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou, Y., K. Tvingstedt, F.L. Zhang, C.X. Du, W.X. Ni, M.R. Andersson, and O. Inganäs. 2009. Observation of a charge transfer state in low-bandgap polymer/fullerene blend systems by photoluminescence and electroluminescence studies. Advanced Functional Materials 19: 3293–3299.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The study summarized here has been performed by a great number of students, postdocs, and guest scientists within the Center of Organic Electronics (COE), financed by the Strategic Research Foundation of Sweden, and more recently by the Swedish Energy Agency. Stefan Hellström, Viktor Andersson, and Kristofer Tvingstedt prepared figures.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biomolecular and Organic Electronics, IFM, and Center of Organic Electronics, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden

    Olle Inganäs & Fengling Zhang

  2. Surface Chemistry/Polymer Technology, Chalmers University of Technology, 412 96, Göteborg, Sweden

    Mats R. Andersson

Authors
  1. Olle Inganäs
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Fengling Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mats R. Andersson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Olle Inganäs.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Inganäs, O., Zhang, F. & Andersson, M.R. Alternating Copolymers and Alternative Device Geometries for Organic Photovoltaics. AMBIO 41 (Suppl 2), 138–142 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-012-0276-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-012-0276-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation