Organic Solar Cells

This paper describes highlights the need of next-generation “organic solar cells”. There is a continuing need for organic solar cells and arrays with very high specific power densities (1000-5000 kW/kg) for generating power in a new generation of ultra light space payloads example in NASA. An emerging technology with promise to meet these ambitious goals are organic solar cells based on very thin films of discrete layers. Theoretical efficiencies for multi junction solar cells are more ~70% as compared to ~30% for single junction devices. There is continuous development going on high mobility, band gap engineered organic donors and acceptors, as well as development of three junction devices and scaled up devices on lightweight flexible polymer substrates. The main interest in this paper is organic semi-conducting crystal: Pentacene, which has photo-conducting states. Organic solar cells manufactured today have low efficiency other than their stability issues. The efficiency of organic solar cells can be improved by either designing polymer materials that absorbs more of solar spectrum or by minimizing the charge collection efficiency by controlling the morphology of polymer films. Once fully developed, organic solar cells would revolutionary power the industry due to their flexibility and minimal weight