The energy costs associated with separating tightly bound excitons (photoinduced electron-hole pairs) and extracting free charges from highly disordered low-mobility networks represent fundamental losses for many low-cost photovoltaic technologies. We report a low-cost, solution-processable solar cell, based on a highly crystalline perovskite absorber with intense visible to near-infrared absorptivity, that has a power conversion efficiency of 10.9% in a single-junction device under simulated full sunlight. This "meso-superstructured solar cell" exhibits exceptionally few fundamental energy losses; it can generate open-circuit photovoltages of more than 1.1 volts, despite the relatively narrow absorber band gap of 1.55 electron volts. The functionality arises from the use of mesoporous alumina as an inert scaffold that structures the absorber and forces electrons to reside in and be transported through the perovskite.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/early/2012/10/03/science.1228604.full.pdf

Efficient Hybrid Solar Cells Based on Meso-Superstructured Organometal Halide Perovskites

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) offer the possibilities to design solar cells with a large flexibility in shape, color, and transparency. DSC research groups have been established around the worl ...

/pdf/dye-sensitized-solar-cells-50b0w2bhsr.pdf

Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

We report on solid-state mesoscopic heterojunction solar cells employing nanoparticles (NPs) of methyl ammonium lead iodide (CH3NH3)PbI3 as light harvesters. The perovskite NPs were produced by reaction of methylammonium iodide with PbI2 and deposited onto a submicron-thick mesoscopic TiO2 film, whose pores were infiltrated with the hole-conductor spiro-MeOTAD. Illumination with standard AM-1.5 sunlight generated large photocurrents (JSC) exceeding 17 mA/cm2, an open circuit photovoltage (VOC) of 0.888 V and a fill factor (FF) of 0.62 yielding a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 9.7%, the highest reported to date for such cells. Femto second laser studies combined with photo-induced absorption measurements showed charge separation to proceed via hole injection from the excited (CH3NH3)PbI3 NPs into the spiro-MeOTAD followed by electron transfer to the mesoscopic TiO2 film. The use of a solid hole conductor dramatically improved the device stability compared to (CH3NH3)PbI3 -sensitized liquid junction cells.

/pdf/lead-iodide-perovskite-sensitized-all-solid-state-submicron-3ydqttohnr.pdf

Lead Iodide Perovskite Sensitized All-Solid-State Submicron Thin Film Mesoscopic Solar Cell with Efficiency Exceeding 9%

Research in the use of organic polymers as the active semiconductors in light-emitting diodes has advanced rapidly, and prototype devices now meet realistic specifications for applications. These achievements have provided insight into many aspects of the background science, from design and synthesis of materials, through materials fabrication issues, to the semiconductor physics of these polymers.

Electroluminescence in conjugated polymers

Within the space of a few years, hybrid organic–inorganic perovskite solar cells have emerged as one of the most exciting material platforms in the photovoltaic sector. This review describes the rapid progress that has been made in this area.

The emergence of perovskite solar cells

Solar cells based on dye-sensitized mesoporous films of TiO2 arelow-cost alternatives to conventional solid-state devices1. Impressive solar-to-electrical energy conversion efficiencies have been achieved with such films when used in conjunction with liquid electrolytes2. Practical advantages may be gained by the replacement of the liquid electrolyte with a solid charge-transport material. Inorganic p-type semiconductors3,4 and organic materials5,6,7,8,9 have been tested in this regard, but in all cases the incident monochromatic photon-to-electron conversion efficiency remained low. Here we describe a dye-sensitized heterojunction of TiO2 with the amorphous organic hole-transport material 2,2′,7,7′-tetrakis(N,N-di-p-methoxyphenyl-amine)9,9′-spirobifluorene (OMeTAD; refs. 10 and 11). Photoinduced charge-carrier generation at the heterojunction is very efficient. A solar cell based on OMeTAD converts photons to electric current with a high yield of 33%.

/pdf/solid-state-dye-sensitized-mesoporous-tio2-solar-cells-with-24y9ubuzfr.pdf

Solid-state dye-sensitized mesoporous TiO2 solar cells with high photon-to-electron conversion efficiencies

Spiro Compounds for Organic Optoelectronics

We demonstrate high-efficiency organic light-emitting diodes by incorporating a double-emission layer (D-EML) into p‐i‐n-type cell architecture. The D-EML is comprised of two layers with ambipolar transport characteristics, both doped with the green phosphorescent dye tris(phenylpyridine)iridium. The D-EML system of two bipolar layers leads to an expansion of the exciton generation region. Due to its self-balancing character, accumulation of charge carriers at the outer interfaces is avoided. Thus, a power efficiency of approximately 77 lm∕W and an external quantum efficiency of 19.3% are achieved at 100cd∕m2 with an operating voltage of only 2.65 V. More importantly, the efficiency decays only weakly with increasing brightness, and a power efficiency of 50 lm∕W is still obtained even at 4000cd∕m2.

Josef Salbeck

Papers

Solid-state dye-sensitized mesoporous TiO2 solar cells with high photon-to-electron conversion efficiencies

Spiro Compounds for Organic Optoelectronics

High-efficiency and low-voltage p‐i‐n electrophosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes with double-emission layers

Low molecular organic glasses for blue electroluminescence

White Light Emission from Organic LEDs Utilizing Spiro Compounds with High‐Temperature Stability