University of Warwick pinpoints alternative to fullerenes in organic solar cells
The research is described in a new study in the journal Advanced Materials.
The solar cell industry has been searching for an alternative to fullerenes for some time as they have many drawbacks as electronic acceptors, including a limited light adsorption and a high cost. Going beyond fullerene derivatives would increase the possible blends that can be considered for organic solar cells.
The University of Warwick scientists, led by Professor Alessandro Troisi in the Department of Chemistry, have discovered that fullerene can accept electrons in a number of excited states, not just in its ground anionic state. These extra states make the process of electron capture faster and improve the efficiency of the charge separation process.
This particular property is not possessed by chance – it needs to be designed into a material and so any attempt to make a fullerene substitute needs to take this property into account.
Professor Troisi believes this is why several attempts to date by the industry to find a replacement have failed.
The Warwick scientists have shown that a new class of molecular acceptors with this electronic characteristic can be designed relatively easily, providing a route towards replacing fullerene derivatives in solar cells.
Professor Troisi said: “Finding a replacement to fullerene has eluded the scientific community and the photovoltaics industry for the best part of two decades. By pinpointing this particular way in which fullerene behaves, we believe we have found a key which may unlock the door to new replacements for this material. Using this knowledge, we are now collaborating with experimentalists at University of Warwick to actively develop fullerene substitutes.”
A patent application has been filed and the scientists are keen to work with commercial partners to bring this technology to market.
The study entitled: ‘What makes fullerene acceptors special as electron acceptors in organic solar cells and how to replace them’, was co-authored by Alessandro Troisi and Tao Liu from the University of Warwick and was funded by the European Research Council.
https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/alternative_to_fullerenes/
If you enjoyed this article, you will like the following ones: don't miss them by subscribing to :
