Materials for PV
With a focus on high-efficiency concepts, we offer active materials, as well as process chemicals, for all established PV technology streams. For next-generation solar cells like organic photovoltaics (OPV), we provide innovative, ready-to-use materials and formulations. We are dedicated to advancing the technology of OPV from a research topic to commercialization by developing semiconducting polymers, interlayers, and electron acceptors.
Capturing the sun
Organic photovoltaics (OPV) constitutes a highly promising technology in the worldwide adoption and implementation of photovoltaics. The high degree of design freedom combined with the low weight of the resultant module allows photovoltaics to penetrate new application fields, such as clothing, photovoltaic membranes for the building industry, and foldable mobile solar cells. Furthermore, we address important future markets such as automotive and building-integrated photovoltaics.
Advantages of OPV include:
Building integration
- Temperature independence
- Angle independence
- Low shadow sensitivity
Plastic modules
- Low weight
- Bendability and ease of lamination
- Roll-to-roll printing
Generic light performance
- Efficiency under diffuse light
- Efficiency indoors
- Efficiency from both sides
Freedom of design
- Opaqueness or semi-transparency
- Choice of colors
- Customization
OPV technology
Organic solar cells convert indoor and outdoor light to electricity. The active layer, a bulk-heterojunction, consists of an intimately mixed blend of a semiconducting polymer and a small-molecule electron acceptor and is sandwiched between two electrodes. Light is absorbed by the polymer, creating tightly bound electron-hole pairs called excitons. At the interface between the electron donor (polymer) and the electron acceptor, these excitons are separated, generating free charge carriers and producing current. To optimize the performance of the solar cell, additional layers such as electron transport layers (ETL) or hole transport layers (HTL) are inserted between the electrodes and the active layer.
The color of the resulting solar device depends on the mixed blend and can be tuned from red to blue to green, including neutral grey shades.
