Stable polymer photovoltaic materials

During training of two research students, the project developed new thermocleavable polymer materials for PV cells with a narrow optical band gap, allowing simple production of multilayer structures such as tandem PV cells. The materials were developed with a view to processability and durability. One of the materials is as stable in a 100% oxygen atmosphere as in a 100% nitrogen (inert) atmosphere under full lighting. Energy conversion efficiencies of up to 1.5% for stable, processable materials were achieved with estimated durabilities of thousands of hours based on accelerated life studies. (Energy 10)