Electrically conducting coatings in organic solar cells OSCs

2 Electrically conducting coatings in organic solar cells (OSCs) 

Conductive coatings are used to conduct a current for the operation of a device and in most cases the current density required for device operation is several orders of magnitude higher than that required for protection against electric discharges. 

Due to the relatively high voltage used in typical EL devices, the resistance of the transparent conductor can be relatively low, at around 10 S2/square. Therefore, it is possible to replace the normally used ITO by a conducting polymer [117, 118] such as PEDOT PSS. 

In addition to lower process costs, an additional technical advantage of the use of a PEDOT PSS-based printing paste for the transparent conductor is the flexibility of the contact layer. ITO is a brittle material not ideally suited to destruction-free thermal deformation. In contrast, devices fabricated with transparent, conductive PEDOT PSS electrodes can be three-dimensionally [119] thermoformed after construction of the EL elements. 

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