Polymeric solar cells based on fullerene and fullerene derivatives are a clean renewable and cheap energy source however the efficiency does not yet rival that of silicon-based technologies. Previous work to increase the efficiency of these polymeric/organic solar cells focused on increasing the density of active material in the device area. This has previously been accomplished by enhancing the solubility of the fullerene molecules and subjecting the devices to thermal annealing. Both of these techniques lead to improved efficiency by controlling the arrangement of the molecules to provide better packing yet neither completely solves the problem. Applications: 1) Improving efficiency in polymeric/organic solar cells 2) Also applicable to polymeric/organic photodetectors diodes and FETs State of Development: Solar cells have been manufactured and demonstrate improved performance.
1) Allows precise control over the morphology of the blended active layer 2) Solution-based processing method with associated manufacturing cost advantages 3) Compatible with other efficiency improving process