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HEIndividual fellowship2023–2026

QuBics · Understanding the Working Mechanisms of Quaternary Blend Organic Photovoltaics (OPVs)

Horizon Europe — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2023-09-01 → 2026-01-31
EU contribution
€222,728
Participants
1
Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

Understanding the Working Mechanisms of Quaternary Blend Organic Photovoltaics (OPVs)

The European Union has implemented the ambitious and essential European Green Deal to establish Europe as the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Achieving this goal demands significant efforts to expand renewable energy sources and position them closer to end users, most of whom reside in urban areas. Photovoltaic (PV) technology, which converts solar energy into electricity without environmental harm, plays a key role in this transition. This project focuses on enhancing future energy systems by advancing urban-integrated PV technology using cutting-edge organic semiconductors. It aims to tackle scientific and commercialization challenges in emerging PV technologies, such as organic and perovskite solar cells, which have the potential to create new markets for cost-effective, climate-neutral, and circular products. We also aim to translate this technology from lab-to-fab with the help of our industrial partners to entice stakeholders and investors to invest in this future technology to develop low-cost energy solutions. We have identified several key scientific and commercialization challenges limiting the practical efficiency of organic and perovskite solar cells: 1. Power conversion efficiency (PCE) is restricted by significant voltage and current losses due to inefficient charge transport. 2. A fundamental trade-off exists between voltage and current in these PV technologies, but the underlying physics remains poorly understood. 3. Scaling up from lab-scale devices to large-area industrial modules is challenging due to high resistive losses and difficulties in producing high-quality light-absorbing active layer thin films. Our objective is to overcome these challenges by primarily employing p-type semiconducting polymers like PM6, D18, D18-Cl, PTQ10, and JD40-BDD20, which are extensively used in organic photovoltaics (OPVs) due to their excellent conductivity and hydrophobic properties. My primary goal is to integrate these polymers at the interface between perovskite and hole-transporting materials to optimize energy level alignment and improve hole extraction efficiency. For this project, we have set a realistic target of achieving a power conversion efficiency (PCE) exceeding 26% in small-area devices and over 20% in large-area modules.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

In response to recent climate tragedies, European Union (EU) is taking rapid action with its ambitious European Green Deal (EGD) to transform our economies and societies greener. As a result, the EU is encouraging the transformation of our buildings and vehicles from energy consumers to energy producers by installing lightweight, flexible, colourful, transparent, low-cost, and environmentally friendly solar panels. These are precisely the features of organic photovoltaics (OPVs). Despite the benefits, the commercialization of OPVs has yet to occur, with power conversion efficiency (PCE) being the primary impediment. In recent years, significant advancements in developing novel design architecture, such as quaternary blend systems (q-OPVs) that employ cutting-edge non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs), helped achieve PCE of over 18%. However, a lack of understanding of the fundamental mechanisms behind novel q-OPVs has impeded further advancement. As a result, Dr. Arunagiri Lingeswaran (experienced researcher (ER)) intends to solve this issue by employing advanced spectroscopic techniques to develop a new design rule for fabricating one-of-a-kind and highly efficient q-OPVs that go beyond the state-of-the-art. ER intends to bring an efficiency breakthrough in the OPV field by utilizing the inter/multidisciplinary aspects of research involving physics, chemistry, materials science, and device engineering to achieve this ambitious goal using the host institution's excellent infrastructural resources. The proposed project (QuBics) complements the ER's expertise in fabricating cutting-edge q-OPVs and the host scientist's knowledge of studying device physics. Overall, the new skills and expertise obtained via this fellowship will help ER mature into a better researcher capable of managing his research group in a few years, ideally in Europe, his desired career path.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • LINKOPINGS UNIVERSITET · LinkopingCoordinatorSweden

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union