KAUST Solar Center
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Research

​KSC expertise spans the value chain in solar energy from molecule synthesis to module prototype testing, including solar fuel and solar thermal. Our project portfolio addresses three key directions for future solar applications: to improve the efficiency, to add new functionality and to create lower cost material.

We classify our activities into several themes below:


  • Organic Photovoltaics Organic Photovoltaics In this theme, new small molecules & macromolecular materials are developed, their efficiency & stability are evaluated, the photophysical processes determining their efficiency in devices are studied by steady-state & transient spectroscopy techniques.
  • Interlayers for Solar Cells Interlayers for Solar Cells Functional interlayers represent an indispensable element of several emerging optoelectronic device technologies including, organic light emitting-diodes, photodetectors, and solar cells, to name but a few.
  • Silicon Tandem Solar Cells Silicon Tandem Solar Cells Research focuses both on large-area compatible fabrication methods as well as novel perovskites and charge-transporting/charge-extracting material systems that can be processed using the same deposition techniques.
  • Solar Fuels Solar Fuels Develop new photocatalytic materials and device systems with high-conversion efficiencies; highly efficient devices that use silicon or organic photovoltaic architectures, for example, in the production of hydrogen from electrochemical water splitting.
  • Collaborative Projects with Academic Institutions Collaborative Projects with Academic Institutions The KAUST Solar Center hosts several collaborative projects with international research partners, including the University of Toronto, UC Berkeley, North Carolina State University, and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Germany.