Polymer solar cells are flexible solar cells made of large organic carbon based molecules that produce energy using photons of light from the sun. They are also called 'plastic solar cells' with characteristically one type of thin film solar cell, and other more stable types are called amorphous silicon solar cells. This new technology is still being actively studied in research environments all over the world -- but this is not why Polymer solar cells amaze us.
One of these research environments is the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) in the Republic of Korea. Researchers here made investigations with high-performance polymer solar cells (PSCs), and achieved a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.92%. This is by far the highest value ever recorded. Their findings are published in the journal 'Nano Letters'.
A change from using silicon based solar cells to polymer based solar cells is required because of the complicated and complex manufacturing process involved in producing silicon solar cells. PCBs are very light, less complicated and inexpensive to manufacture, very flexible (as seen in the image), and have the least negative effect on the environment."Our work is meaningful to develop novel metal nanoparticles and almost reach 10% efficiency by using these materials. If we continuously focus on optimizing this work, commercialization of PSCs will be a realization but not dream," said Soojin Park, the research team leader and associate Professor of the Interdisciplinary School of Green Energy at UNIST (ref).
Top image: High-performance flexible and lightweight solar cell -- source
Bottom right image: Polymer solar cells TU/e -- source
Article source: Nano Letters
