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Solar energy industry

Breakthrough in Organic Solar Cells: Researchers Achieve 15% Efficiency with Eco-Friendly Method

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Investigators at Aix-Marseille University have made a significant contribution to the field of organic solar cells, achieving 15% efficiency in a scalable and environmentally friendly fabrication method. This accomplishment has the potential to revolutionize the production of all-polymer solar cells, making them more commercially viable. The researchers employed a doctor-blade coating technique using the green solvent xylene, achieving improved device performance and reduced environmental impact.

Key Takeaways:

  • Researchers at Aix-Marseille University have developed a scalable fabrication method for all-polymer solar cells using eco-friendly solvent systems, achieving 15% efficiency.
  • The method involves doctor-blade coating at ambient temperature in air, using a mixture of PM6:PY-IT and a green solvent, xylene.
  • The fabricated devices exhibited a short-circuit current density (Jsc) of 22.54 mA/cm², an open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.91 V, and a fill factor (FF) of 67.2%, resulting in a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 15%.
  • The method employs ambient, low-energy processing and scalable deposition techniques, significantly reducing the environmental impact of the fabrication process.
  • The researchers emphasize the potential of this approach for sustainable and efficient manufacturing of all-PSC devices, aligning with market demands.
  • Key ink formulation steps, including controlled heating, stirring, and vortexing, were optimized to enhance film morphology and crystallinity.
  • Atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) were used to evaluate the film morphology and crystallinity.
  • Charge transport properties were evaluated via the space-charge limited current (SCLC) method.

Statistics:

  • 15% power conversion efficiency (PCE) achieved in a scalable and environmentally friendly fabrication method
  • 22.54 mA/cm² short-circuit current density (Jsc)
  • 0.91 V open-circuit voltage (Voc)
  • 67.2% fill factor (FF)
  • 15% efficiency achieved in an all-polymer solar cell using a green solvent, xylene
  • Ambient, low-energy processing and scalable deposition techniques employed in the fabrication method
  • 4:1 ratio of PM6 to PY-IT in the ink formulation optimized for improved device performance

Sources:

  • Blade-Coated All-Polymer Organic Solar Cells with 15% Efficiency Using Eco-Friendly Solvent Systems. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2025.
  • Aral Karahan, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS UMR 7325, CINaM, Campus of Luminy, Case 913, Marseille 13288 Cedex 09, France.
  • Mohamed El Amine Kramdi, Lydia Abbassi, Takeshi Watanabe, Hidehiro Sekimoto, Olivier Margeat, Jorg Ackermann, Carmen M. Ruiz Herrero, and Christine Videlot-Ackermann.
  • Amer Chemical Soc, 1155 16TH St, NW, Washington, DC 20036, USA.

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