Depositphotos
Japanese scientists have created all-organic solar cells made of carbon-based materials with a record efficiency of 8.7% for this type of cell.
It is noted that the amount of solar energy that reaches the Earth every day is 10 times higher than all the existing needs of humanity. Over the past 6 years, there has been a rapid development of cells for solar panels. However, there are still a number of challenges to their widespread use, including high production costs, efficiency, and environmental impact.
Silicon is currently the most widely used material in solar cells. However, such cells often also contain potentially hazardous materials that are difficult to dispose of in an environmentally friendly manner.
With this in mind, Japanese researchers have developed all-organic cells that are twice as efficient as other analogs. The cells are made entirely of carbon-based materials The researchers solved the main production problems by using transparent, highly conductive organic materials for the solar cell electrodes.
Organic cells for solar panels can be easily and safely disposed of, which reduces the cost of doing so compared to with the use of perovskite and silicon cells. Solar cells made of organic materials typically have an efficiency of 4%, which is significantly lower than silicon (27%) and perovskite (26%).
To improve the efficiency of cells, materials should be as transparent as possible and have high conductivity. Organic cells must be made from carbon-based materials, which limits their availability. They are also rather fragile materials, so their stacking creates difficulties in the process of creating a solar cell.
Japanese scientists have solved this problem by using the conductive polymeric material PEDOT, which is used to create transparent electrodes. Electrodes can be made from it without the need for high temperatures and the addition of toxic chemicals. The researchers used the following technology to lay the cells lamination of carbon nanotube electrodes. The electrodes are individually fabricated on barrier films prior to integration into the device, which helps to avoid damage to the layers.
New organic solar cell demonstrated an efficiency of 8.7%, which is twice as high as the rest of the organic analogues. The lightness and flexibility of the organic solar cell also allows it to be installed in places where conventional silicon cells could not be installed. This includes agricultural applications and devices that can be powered by solar energy.
The results of the study are published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials
Source: Interesting Engineering