IMEC, Plextronics team for organic solar cell inks, materials
Plextronics claims its Plexcore materials have demonstrated efficiencies as high as 5.9%, according to recent testing at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Colorado. IMEC said it aims to develop organic multi-junction solar cells with efficiency of 10% by 2012 and is focused on up-scaling of the process to achieve a large-area industrial manufacturing technology with an average efficiency of 7% (+/- 0.5%) and solar cell lifetime of 5 years.
By Ann Steffora Mutschler, Senior Editor -- Electronic News, 9/2/2008
To collaborate on state-of-the-art materials and inks for organic solar cells, Leuven, Belgium-based nanoelectronics research institute IMEC and Pittsburgh, Pa-based printed solar company Plextronics Inc said Monday they have signed an agreement that covers IMEC’s development of a reproducible process for high-efficiency organic solar cells using Plextronics' Plexcore materials and inks
To accomplish these goals, the parties said that high-quality, highly reproducible commercial materials are essential. As such, in a first phase, IMEC said it will investigate Plexcore OS, a regioregular poly-3-hexylthiophene (P3HT) polymer with a high absorption coefficient close to the maximum photon flux in the solar spectrum and high mobility, which will be processed using spin coating and validated on film morphology, carrier mobility and reproducibility. Solar cells will then be processed on different substrates using spin-coated films of the material.
Research in the future will include evaluation of other Plexcore materials and inks using deposition techniques such as screen and inkjet printing and spray coating on large-area substrates, IMEC said.
“Plextronics’ materials look very promising for high-efficiency reproducible organic solar cells. With their focus on materials, inks, and process technology for organic solar cells, we expect that our work with Plextronics will help accelerate our optimization and development of an industrial large-area process,” said Jef Poortmans, solar program director at IMEC, in a statement.
Plextronics' CEO Andy Hannah said this collaboration with IMEC is important for the company. “Our focus is on enabling OPV commercialization with new inks and technology, and partnering with organizations like IMEC that have processing and device expertise is vital to that goal,” he concluded.
