Solid organic solar cells

The aim of this chapter is to give a state-of-the-art report on the plastic solar cells based on conjugated polymers. Results from other organic solar cells like pristine fullerene cells [7, 8], dye-sensitized liquid electrolyte [9], or solid state polymer electrolyte cells [10], pure dye cells [11, 12], or small molecule cells [13], mostly based on heterojunctions between phthaocyanines and perylenes [14], will not be discussed. Extensive literature exists on the fabrication of solar cells based on small molecular dyes with donor-acceptor systems (see for example [2, 3] and references therein). 

In a later publication,96 the standard free energy of formation of the products, AG in V, was used instead of AH in Eq. (23) so that comparisons could be made with the commonly reported efficiencies of solid state solar cells. For the reduction of carbon dioxide to organic compounds, the optical conversion efficiency of the system is the sum of the efficiencies for each product. Thus, it can be given as... 

Figure 3.31. Organic solar cell with the molecular glass Spiro-MeOTAD as the solid-state electrolyte. The photosensitive ruthenium dye is attached as a monolayer to Ti02 nanoparticles, thus forming a large active area for photoinduced electron transfer.

It is the purpose of this chapter to introduce photoinduced charge transfer phenomena in bulk heterojunction composites, i.e., blends of conjugated polymers and fullerenes. Phenomena found in other organic solar cells such as pristine fullerene cells [11,12], dye sensitised liquid electrolyte [13] or solid state polymer electrolyte cells [14], pure dye cells [15,16] or small molecule cells [17], mostly based on heterojunctions between phthalocyanines and perylenes [18] or other bilayer systems will not be discussed here, but in the corresponding chapters of this book. 

Drechsel J., Mannig B., Kozlowski F., Gebeyehu D., Werner A., Koch M., Leo K. and Pfeiffer M. (2004), High-efficiency organic solar cells based on single or multiplep-i-n structures , Thin Solid Films 451-52, 515-517. 

Glatthaar M., Niggemann M., Zimmermann B., Lewer P., Riede M., Hinsch A. and Luther J. (2005), Organic solar cells using inverted layer sequence . Thin Solid Films 491, 298-300. 

NiggemannM., Glatthaar M., Gombert A., Hinsch A. and Wittwer V. (2004) Diffraction gratings and buried nano-electrodes—architectnres for organic solar cells . Thin Solid Films 451, 619-623. 

Jessica Benson-Smith was awarded the British Marshall Scholarship in 2004. As a recipient of this fellowship, she became a postgraduate smdent in the Experimental Solid State Physics Department at Imperial College, London, from which she received her PhD in 2007. She specialises in the spectroscopy of organic bulk heterojunction films for organic solar cell applications. 

Aemouts, T. et al.. Printable anodes for flexible organic solar cell modules. Thin Solid Films 451-152, 22-25, 2004. 

G. Dennler, C. Lungenschmied, H. Neugebauer, N. S. Sariciftci, M. La-treche, G. Czeremuszkin, and M. R. Wertheimer. A new encapsulation solution for fiexible organic solar cells. Thin Solid Films, 511-512 349-353, July 2006. 

P. Boland, S. S. Sunkavalli, S. Chennuri, K. Foe, T. Abdel-Fattah, G. Namkoong, Investigation of Structural, Optical, and Electrical Properties of Regioregular Poly(3-Hexylthiophene)/Fullerene Blend Nanocomposites for Organic Solar Cells. Thin Solid Films 2010,518,1728-1731. 

Dennler G, Lungenschmied C, Neugebauer H, Sariciftci NS, Latreche M, Czeremuszkin G, et al. A new encapsulation solution for flexible organic solar cells. Thin Solid Films 2006 511-512 349-53. 

T. Aernouts, P. Vanlaeke, W. Geens, J. Poortmans, P. Heremans, S. Borghs, R. Mertens, R. Andriessen and L. Leenders, Printable anodes for flexible organic solar cell modules. Thin Solid Films 451-452, 22-25 (2004). 

Do H, Reinhard M, Vogeler H et al (2009) Polymeric anodes from poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) for 3.5% efficient organic solar cells. Thin Solid Films 517 5900-5902... 

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