Recovery Act - SolarFlex (Surface Plasmon Energy Trapping on Organic Solar Cell)

Thin-film organic solar cell (TFOC) technology is an attractive technology due to its low manufacturing cost enabled by printing and coating, mechanical flexibility, and its use of non-toxic materials. The threshold efficiency for commercialization of TFOC is estimated to be at 10%. Here we propose to increase the efficiency of TFOC from the present values of 6.4% to over 10% by incorporating nanostructures to trap the solar energy. Physical Sciences Inc will team with Konarka, a leading organic solar cell manufacturer, to incorporate surface-plasmon enhanced nanostructures to confine the incident solar radiation. Organic solar cells typically have active film thickness on the order of a fraction of the wavelength of light. Applying metallic nanostructures allows for subwavelength confinement enabling efficient energy transfer into the active region of the cell. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: The largest commercial applications of thin film organic solar cells include incorporation onto commercial and residential rooftops. In addition, other markets include battery charging for phones, laptops, and other consumer products.