Abstract

The gradual loss of efficiency during field operation poses a fundamental challenge for economic viability of any solar cell technology. Well known examples include light-induced degradation in Si-based cell (Staebler-Wronski effect), Cu diffusion in thin film (CIGS) cell, hot-spot degradation in series connected modules, etc. Here we develop a compact model for an intrinsic degradation concern for bulk heterojunction type organic photovoltaic (BH-OPV) cells that involve continued (thermal) phase segregation of the donor-acceptor molecules leading to characteristic loss of efficiency and performance. Our approach interprets a number of BH-OPV device degradation measurements within a common framework and suggests/rationalizes intuitive routes for lifetime improvement for such technologies.

Comments

Copyright (2011) American Institute of Physics. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics. The following article appeared in Appl. Phys. Lett. 99, 033303 (2011) and may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3610460. The following article has been submitted to/accepted by Applied Physics Letters. Copyright (2011) Author(s). This article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Keywords

Organic solar cell, Bulk heterojunction, Thermal degradation

DOI

10.1063/1.3610460

Citation

Appl. Phys. Lett. 99, 033303 (2011); DOI: 10.1063/1.3610460

Date of this Version

2011

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