PolyStaR - Novel materials and processes for polymer solar cells with improved stability and reliability

The objective of POLYSTAR is to demonstrate large-area, roll-to-roll processing of polymer solar cells with ~1% module efficiency, 1 year shelf life and 1000 hours operational stability. Full roll-to-roll production of 13.500 modules on 3x100 m foil was demonstrated. The modules showed an average initial efficiency of 2% and 2.8% for the best modules. Outdoor testing showed > 1000 h operational stability at 1 % efficiency, and a shelf life comfortably larger than 1 year. Miniaturized modules were developed for applications applying Li-polymer batteries. These credit-card-sized modules showed however restricted stability. This was traced back to their design. A series of 10.000 miniaturized modules were produced and integrated in a small flash lamp in collaboration with a Danish printing company. The lamp attracted attention as give-away product at an international conference for organic and printed electronics. The main results have been obtained in an effort extending beyond POLYSTAR, but POLYSTAR has generated knowledge and experience that directly supports the results, especially in the field of degradation. Other themes covered in POLYMOL are engineering of low-bandgap polymers for processing versatility and modelling of module lifetime.