Organic solar cells with improved energy efficiency

The chemist Guillermo Bazan and Alan Heeger of the University of
California at Santa Barbara have developed a novel low molecular
weight compound, is to make the organic solar cells far more powerful,
Technology Review reported in its online edition. The prototype comes
at an efficiency of 6.7 percent. Bazan expects it to increase to 9
percent. Thus the cells would convert light into electricity more than
already on the market products such as "Power Plastic" by Konarka,
whose peak value is currently at 8.3 percent.
Although their efficiency is lower by about one-third than that of
conventional silicon cells, organic solar cells have a major
advantage: The molecules that make up its light-collecting layer, can
be in liquid form inexpensively imprinted on flexible substrate films.
Solar cells are thus possible, which are lightweight, flexible and
versatile.

But even if Bazan and Heeger at the new material is a breakthrough
that is likely to have organic solar cells on the market hard, if the
price of silicon cells continues to drop. "Your performance and
service life can not keep up," Yang Yang, says materials scientist at
the University of California at Los Angeles. Yang and his company is
Solarmer primarily on polymer-cell tests in the laboratory but also
small molecules.
The work of Bazan and Heeger, however, show the potential of this
class of materials, says Yang, who trusts her an efficiency of 15
percent - at least in laboratory prototypes. On speculation about
prospects for solar cells made of small molecules Heeger want to get
involved yet. "We should take seriously, but now," he affirms.