go to top scroll for more

Projects


Projects: Projects for Investigator
Reference Number EP/L012200/1
Title Self-assembled organic photovoltaic materials
Status Completed
Energy Categories Renewable Energy Sources(Solar Energy, Photovoltaics) 100%;
Research Types Basic and strategic applied research 100%
Science and Technology Fields PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Chemistry) 100%
UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation Not Cross-cutting 100%
Principal Investigator Professor PJ Skabara
No email address given
Pure and Applied Chemistry
University of Strathclyde
Award Type Standard
Funding Source EPSRC
Start Date 03 March 2014
End Date 30 September 2017
Duration 42 months
Total Grant Value £317,052
Industrial Sectors Energy
Region Scotland
Programme NC : Physical Sciences
 
Investigators Principal Investigator Professor PJ Skabara , Pure and Applied Chemistry, University of Strathclyde (100.000%)
  Industrial Collaborator Project Contact , National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), USA (0.000%)
Project Contact , University of Bath (0.000%)
Project Contact , Merck Miilipore (UK) (0.000%)
Web Site
Objectives
Abstract The development of renewable energy sources is an urgent problem and so large that many technologies will contribute. Solar photovoltaics can be expected to play a major role because of the abundance of solar energy, and the convenience of electricity as an energy source, but at present they contribute only a tiny fraction of the world's energy supply (e.g. ca. 0.1% in the US, according to the US Institute for Energy Research). The major reason for the very limited uptake is that current solar cells are much more expensive than generating power from fossil fuels. Organic semiconductors have the potential to solve this problem by providing a route to much lower cost solar cells. Organic semiconductors are pi-conjugated molecules and polymers, that can be processed from solution via low cost/high volume deposition techniques such as spin-coating, roll-to-roll processing and ink-jet and screen printing. This means that they can be used to make flexible thin film devices that are lightweight and portable. We propose to develop new organic solar cell materials building on our promising initial results from novel cross-shaped molecules. The proposed materials have well-defined structures that pack together efficiently, giving improved charge transport. The key idea is to control this packing of materials so that they will "self-assemble" into the desired arrangement for efficient solar cells. To achieve this we will bring together teams of physicists and chemists and collaborate with leading groups at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Imperial College London
Publications (none)
Final Report (none)
Added to Database 14/04/14