| Organic–Based
Photovoltaics: Toward Low–Cost Power Generation
Sean E. Shaheen, David S. Ginley, and Ghassan E. Jabbour, Guest Editors
Abstract
Harvesting energy directly from sunlight using photovoltaic technology
is a way to address growing global energy needs with a renewable resource
while minimizing detrimental effects on the environment by reducing atmospheric
emissions. This issue of MRS Bulletin on "Organic–Based
Photovoltaics" looks at a new generation of solar cells that have
the potential to be produced inexpensively. Recent advances in solar power
conversion efficiencies have propelled organic-based photovoltaics out
of the realm of strictly fundamental research at the university level
and into the industrial laboratory setting. Fabricated from organic materials-polymers
and molecules-these devices are potentially easier to manufacture than
current technologies based on silicon or other
materials. In this introductory article, we describe the motivation for
pursuing research in this field and provide an overview of the various
technical approaches that have been developed to date. We conclude by
discussing the challenges that need to be overcome in order for organic
photovoltaics to realize their potential as an economically viable path
to harvesting energy from sunlight.
Keywords: electron acceptors, energy production,
excitons, metal oxide semiconductors, nanostructures, organic semiconductors,
photovoltaics, polymers, power generation, quantum dots, solar cells.
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