Ultra-Low-Cost and Stable OPV

Bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaics (BHJ OPV) are a promising technology for converting sunlight into electricity because, in principle, they can be manufactured by coating a wide range of substrates by various solutions containing the organic (and inorganic) materials. However, current BHJ OPV formation in the laboratory uses a variety of labor-intensive, non-scalable deposition techniques. Moreover, champion devices are inherently unstable and incorporate materials whose manufacture is prohibitively expensive. In this project, we will use an exceedingly low-cost and scalable technique for the ambient atmosphere manufacture of all the layers of BHJ OPV modules on both glass and flexible transparent substrates, focusing exclusively on an entirely air-stable device architecture. The technology developed herein will allow BHJ OPV to realize its promise of low-cost manufacturing while also delivering sufficient stability and efficiency to enable its adoption by both the military and commercial markets.