Green Chemistry Organic Solar Cells

Organic solar cells usually consist of two different organic components possessing the necessary semiconductor properties.

Green chemistry organic solar cells.

Organic solar cells oscs are one of the emerging photovoltaic pv technologies and are classified as third generation solar cells with organic polymer material as the light absorbing layer. A solar cell is made of two types of semiconductors called p type and n type silicon. Oscs usually rely on a blend of electron donating and electron accepting semiconductors with specific energetic optical and transport properties in order to achieve efficient harvesting of sunlight and photocurrent generation. Organic solar cells oscs are regarded as low cost and potentially environmentally benign sources of power.

Silicon solar cells have a 1 65 to 4 12 year energy payback time while some organic solar cells and perovskites have energy payback times of less than half a year. Handbook of organic materials for optical and opto electronic devices 2013. Compared to silicon based solar cells they are tremendously effective in indoor lighting conditions. Organic photovoltaic solar cells nrel has strong complementary research capabilities in organic photovoltaic opv cells transparent conducting oxides combinatorial methods molecular simulation methods and atmospheric processing.

In contrast to conventionally used silicon which is manufactured by energy intensive melting processes organic materials can be applied directly from solutions onto a carrier film or glass carrier. This is the amount of time a solar cell must operate before it generates the same amount of energy as its embodied energy. Organic solar cells oscs offer a relevant case in point when considering challenges imposed by green manufacturing. 4 among the arguments for pursuing research on oscs are that most if not all of the components can be deposited from solution in a roll to roll manner 5 6 that the materials are in principal earth abundant 7 that devices can be semitransparent 8 or aesthetically pleasing 9 that the devices are ultra flexible 10 and even stretchable 10 13 and that the materials.

P conjugated semiconducting polymers the components of oscs responsible for. They can also be made moldable transparent or. Organic solar cells come into their own indoors. Embodied energy is part of an even broader picture.