Resilient Solution-Processed Photovoltaics

PI: Prof. Derya Baran, Prof. Stefaan De Wolf, Prof. Frederic Laquai, Prof. Shadi Fatayer

Solution-processed photovoltaics is a promising renewable energy technology with untapped potential. Record power-conversion efficiencies for organic and perovskite-based solar cells are rapidly approaching their theoretical limits. These improvements promise the application and commercialization of solution-processed photovoltaics if, in addition to the power conversion efficiency, the stability of the devices could be increased. However, device stability has only recently drawn increased research attention as a central pillar of photovoltaics research towards the large-scale manufacturing of such devices. This has led to the considerable effort to understand the degradation mechanisms in operational devices, though tackling such degradation pathways is still a challenge.

This project aims to focus on identifying and eliminating the sources of device degradation in photovoltaic devices, which is as crucial as improving the power conversion efficiency to make this technology commercially viable. Several KSC research groups provide collective effort aimed at achieving the goals of this project. Specifically, this involves conducting a comprehensive study of single and multi-junction devices’ stability in controlled laboratory and ambient outdoor environments to elucidate different degradation pathways. Additionally, advanced spectroscopic, electrical, and in-operando measurements are utilized to disentangle several different degradation mechanisms that the devices undergo during operation. This project further involves the development of novel methods for tackling device degradation. Such strategies would lead to the development of photovoltaic devices with long-term stability, resilience to hot and humid climates, and their ability to also be used as semi-transparent devices for building integration and greenhouse applications.

Related Publications

  1. Jules Bertrandie, Jianhua Han, Catherine S. P. De Castro, Emre Yangel, Julien Gorenflot, Thomas Anthopoulos, Frederic Laquai, Anirudh Sharma, Derya Baran. The Energy level Conundrum of Organic Semiconductors in Solar Cells. Advanced Materials, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202202575.
  2. Jules Bertrandie, Anirudh Sharma, Nicola Gasparini, Diego Rosas Villalva, Sri Harish K. Paleti, Nimer Wehbe, Joel Troughton, and Derya Baran. Air-Processable and Thermally Stable Hole Transport Layer for NonFullerene Organic Solar Cells. ACS Applied Energy Materials, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.1c03378.
  3. Top Archie Dela Peña, Ruijie Ma, Anirudh Sharma, Zengshan Xing, Zijing Jin, Jiannong Wang, Derya Baran, Lu-Tao Weng, He Yan, Kam Sing Wong. Effects of Vertical Molecular Stratifications and Microstructures on the Properties of Fullerene-Free Organic Solar Cells, Advanced Photonics Research, 2022, 2100339, https://doi.org/10.1002/adpr.202100339.
  4. Valentina Belova,* Aleksandr Perevedentsev, Julien Gorenflot,* Catherine S. P. DeCastro, Miquel Casademont-Vi ̃nas, Sri H. K. Paleti, Safakath Karuthedath,Derya Baran, Frédéric Laquai, and Mariano Campoy-Quiles. Effect of Quencher, Geometry, and Light Outcoupling onthe Determination of Exciton Diffusion Length in Nonfullerene Acceptors, Solar RRL, 2021, 2100822, https://doi.org/10.1002/solr.202100822
  5. Anastasia Markina, Kun-Han Lin, Wenlan Liu, Carl Poelking, Yuliar Firdaus, Diego Rosas Villalva, Jafar I. Khan, Sri H. K. Paleti, George T. Harrison, Julien Gorenflot, Weimin Zhang, Stefaan De Wolf, Iain McCulloch, Thomas D. Anthopoulos, Derya Baran, Frédéric Laquai, and Denis Andrienko. Chemical Design Rules for Non-Fullerene Acceptors in Organic Solar Cells, Advanced Energy Materials, 2021, 11, 2102363, https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202102363
  6. Karuthedath, Safakath and Paleti, Sri H. K. and Sharma, Anirudh and Yin, Hang and De Castro, Catherine S. P. and Alshehri, Nisreen and Ramos, Nicolas and Khan, Jafar I. and Martin, Jaime and Li, Gang and Laquai, Frédéric and Baran, Derya and Gorenflot, Julien François, Mixing of Non-Fullerene Acceptors Ionization Energies: An Additional Tool to Tune the Quantum Efficiency of Ternary Organic Solar Cells. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4079105 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4079105
  7. Anirudh Sharma, Saumya Singh, Xin Song, Diego Rosas Villalva, Joel Troughton, Daniel Corzo, Levent Toppare, Gorkem Gunbas, Bob C. Schroeder, Derya Baran. A Nonionic Alcohol Soluble Polymer Cathode Interlayer Enables Efficient Organic and Perovskite Solar Cells, Chemistry of Materials, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.1c01430.
  8. Top Archie Dela Peña, Jafar I. Khan, Neha Chaturvedi, Ruijie Ma, Zengshan Xing, Julien Gorenflot, Anirudh Sharma, Fai Lun Ng, Derya Baran, He Yan, Frédéric Laquai, Kam Sing Wong. Understanding the Charge Transfer State and Energy Losses Tradeoffs in Nonfullerene-Based Organic Solar Cells, ACS Energy Letters, 2021, 6, 10, 3408-3416, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.1c01574.