North Carolina State University-led researchers have developed an analytical measurement “framework” which could allow organic solar cell researchers and manufacturers to determine which materials will produce the most stable solar cells prior to manufacture.
North Carolina State University-led researchers have developed an analytical measurement “framework” which could allow organic solar cell researchers and manufacturers to determine which materials will produce the most stable solar cells prior to manufacture.
Organic solar cells have increased in efficiency over the past decades, but researchers and manufacturers still struggle with determining which material combinations work best and why, as well as with achieving stable morphology and operation.
“There is still a lot of ‘trial and error’ guesswork involved in identifying promising materials for these solar cells,” says Harald Ade, Goodnight Innovation Distinguished Professor of Physics at NC State and co-corresponding author of the research. “However, we found that if you understand two important parameters for the materials being used, you can predict how stable the active layer morphology will be, which in turn affects efficiency over time.”
The parameters in question are the elastic modulus and glass transition – essentially how stiff the material is and at what temperature the material transitions from a rigid state to a rubbery or viscous fluid state.
Read more at North Carolina State University
