The Eficiency of Organic Solar Cells was Improved by 2% Using Quantum Dots
22 February 2010 | Solar Power | No Comments
To improve the efficiency of organic solar cells, some scientists at the Freiburg Materials Research Center and the Department of Microsystems Engineering, have developed a new method for treating the surface of nanoparticles. By using cadmium selenide in a new way (quantum dots), researchers managed to improve the eficiency of organic solar cells by 2 percent. These new hybrid solar cells have a photoactive layer composed of an organic polymer and a mixture of inorganic nanoparticles.
If researchers will be able to apply this method to many nanoparticles, they could improve the efficiency of organic solar cells with far more than 2 percent. By developing this third generation of solar cells (organic solar cells), researchers could show people that these new cells come with some important advantages. Compared with the conventional silicon cells these organic solar cells are quicker to produce, considerably thinner, more flexible, and they are also less expensive.
This project “Quantum Dot Polymer Hybrids as Photoactive Material in Solar Cells” is led by a team of physicists, chemists, and engineers from FMF and IMTEK (Freiburg Materials Research Center and Department of Microsystems Engineering) and receives funds from the German Research Foundation.
Tags: cadmium selenide solar cells, hybrid solar cells, organic solar cells, photoactive layer, Quantum Dot Polymer Hybrids, quantum dots, silicon solar cells, third generation of solar cells, treating nanoparticles surface