Most of us are familiar with silicon solar cells, which can be found on the rooftops of modern houses. These cells are made of two silicon layers, which contain different atoms such as boron and phosphorus. When combined, these layers direct charges generated by the absorbed sunlight towards the electrodes.
The situation is somewhat different in organic solar cells. Here, two organic materials are mixed together, rather than arranged in a layered structure. They are blends of different types of molecules.
One type, the acceptor, likes to take electrons from the other, the donor. To quantify how likely “electron transfer” between these materials takes place, one measures the so-called “electron affinity” and “ionization energy” of each material. [Read more…] about Organic solar cells: A question of affinity
Related Posts
- 33Researchers in the materials department in UC Santa Barbara's College of Engineering have uncovered a major cause of limitations to efficiency in a new generation of solar cells. Various possible defects in the lattice of what are known as hybrid perovskites had previously been considered as the potential cause of…