New Discovery Could Make Organic Solar Cells Significantly More Efficient

A research team at the Technical University of Munich has made significant progress in organic solar cell technology by incorporating organic dyes. These dyes facilitate the movement of excitons, critical for energy conversion, thus enhancing the efficiency of the solar cells. Their work opens up new possibilities for organic solar cells and light-emitting diodes, offering potential for more sustainable energy solutions.

Organic dyes accelerate the transport of buffered solar energy.

The sun provides vast amounts of energy to Earth, but solar cells always lose some of this energy. This is an obstacle in the use of organic solar cells, especially for those viable in innovative applications.

A crucial factor in improving their efficiency is improving the transport of the solar energy accumulated in the material. A research team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now demonstrated that certain organic dyes can help build virtual highways for the energy.

Organic solar cells are light, extremely thin energy collectors and as a flexible coating are a perfect fit on almost any surface: Solar cells based on organic <span class="glossaryLink" aria-describedby="tt" data-cmtooltip="

semiconductors

Semiconductors are a type of material that has electrical conductivity between that of a conductor (such as copper) and an insulator (such as rubber). Semiconductors are used in a wide range of electronic devices, including transistors, diodes, solar cells, and integrated circuits. The electrical conductivity of a semiconductor can be controlled by adding impurities to the material through a process called doping. Silicon is the most widely used material for semiconductor devices, but other materials such as gallium arsenide and indium phosphide are also used in certain applications.

” data-gt-translate-attributes=”[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]”>semiconductors open up a range of application possibilities, for example, as solar panels and films which can be rolled up, or for use on smart devices.

But one disadvantage in many applications is the comparatively poor transport of the energy collected within the material. Researchers are investigating the elementary transport processes of organic solar cells in order to find ways to improve this transport.

Stimulating sunlight

One of these researchers is Frank Ortmann, Professor of Theoretical Methods in Spectroscopy at TUM. He and his colleagues from Dresden focus more than anything on the mutual interaction between light and material – especially the behavior of what are called excitons.

Frank Ortmann and Maximilian Dorfner Presentation

Prof. Frank Ortmann (right) and Maximilian Dorfner discuss how specific molecules can increase the efficiency of organic solar cells. Credit: S. Reiffert / TUM

“Excitons are something like the fuel of the sun, which has to be used optimally,” explains Ortmann, who is also a member of the “e-conversion” Excellence Cluster. “When light energy in the form of a <span class="glossaryLink" aria-describedby="tt" data-cmtooltip="

photon

A photon is a particle of light. It is the basic unit of light and other electromagnetic radiation, and is responsible for the electromagnetic force, one of the four fundamental forces of nature. Photons have no mass, but they do have energy and momentum. They travel at the speed of light in a vacuum, and can have different wavelengths, which correspond to different colors of light. Photons can also have different energies, which correspond to different frequencies of light.

” data-gt-translate-attributes=”[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]”>photon collides with the material of a solar cell it is absorbed and buffered as an excited state. This intermediate state is referred to as an exciton.”

These charges cannot be used as electrical energy until they reach a specially designed interface. Ortmann and his team have now shown that what are referred to as exciton transport highways can be created using organic dyes.

Turbocharger dyes

The reason it is so important that the excitons reach this interface as quickly as possible has to do with their short lifespan. “The faster and more targeted the transport, the higher the energy yield, and thus the higher the efficiency of the solar cell,” says Ortmann.

The molecules of the organic dyes, referred to as quinoid merocyanines, make this possible, thanks to their chemical structure and their excellent ability to absorb visible light. Accordingly, they are also suitable for use as the active layer in an organic solar cell, Ortmann explains.

Energy packets in the fast lane

Using spectroscopic measurements and models the researchers were able to observe the excitons racing through the dye molecules. “The value of 1.33 electron volts delivered by our design is far above the values found in organic semiconductors – you could say the organic dye molecules form a kind of super-highway,” Ortmann adds.

These fundamental new findings could pave the way for targeted, more efficient exciton transport in organic solid matter, accelerating the development of organic solar cells and organic light-emitting diodes with even higher performance.

Reference: “Directed exciton transport highways in organic semiconductors” by Kai Müller, Karl S. Schellhammer, Nico Gräßler, Bipasha Debnath, Fupin Liu, Yulia Krupskaya, Karl Leo, Martin Knupfer and Frank Ortmann, 12 September 2023, <span class="glossaryLink" aria-describedby="tt" data-cmtooltip="

Nature Communications

<em>Nature Communications</em> is a peer-reviewed, open-access, multidisciplinary, scientific journal published by Nature Portfolio. It covers the natural sciences, including physics, biology, chemistry, medicine, and earth sciences. It began publishing in 2010 and has editorial offices in London, Berlin, New York City, and Shanghai. 

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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41044-9