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The Essence and Efficiency Limits of Bulk-Heterostructure Organic Solar Cells

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 April 2012

M. Alam ,
B. Ray ,
M. Khan  and
S. Dongaonkar
M. Alam*
Affiliation:
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906
B. Ray
Affiliation:
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906
M. Khan
Affiliation:
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906
S. Dongaonkar
Affiliation:
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906
*
*Email: [email protected]
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Abstract:

Since its introduction in early 1990s, bulk-heterojunction organic photovoltaic solar cell (BHJ-OPV) has promised high-efficiency at ultra-low cost and weight, with potential for non-traditional applications such as building-integrated PV. There is a widespread presumption, however, that the complexity of morphology makes carrier transport in OPV irreducibly complicated, and possibly, beyond predictive modeling. In this paper, we use elementary and intuitive arguments to derive the fundamental thermodynamic as well as morphology-specific practical limits of BHJ-OPV efficiency. We find that constraints of the percolation threshold and trade-off among short-circuit current, open circuit voltage, and fill factor make substantial improvement in OPV efficiency difficult. We posit that future improvement in OPV will rely not on morphology engineering, or reducing the polymer bandgap, but on increasing both the effective μ × τ product and the cross-gap between donor/acceptors. Even if the OPV fails to achieve the highest efficiency anticipated by the thermodynamic limit, its novel form factor, lightweight, and transparency can make it a commercially viable option for many applications.

Keywords

photovoltaicdevicesmorphology
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1390: Symposium H/I – Organic Photovoltaics–Materials to Devices , 2012 , mrsf11-1390-h14-01-i11-01
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2012

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