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Small Molecule Organic Semiconductors on the Move: Promises for Future Solar Energy Technology
Author(s) -
Mishra Amaresh,
Bäuerle Peter
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201102326
Subject(s) - organic solar cell , commercialization , organic semiconductor , nanotechnology , materials science , hybrid solar cell , heterojunction , engineering physics , organic molecules , semiconductor , small molecule , energy conversion efficiency , polymer solar cell , solar cell , optoelectronics , molecule , chemistry , engineering , organic chemistry , business , polymer , biochemistry , composite material , marketing
Abstract This article is written from an organic chemist’s point of view and provides an up‐to‐date review about organic solar cells based on small molecules or oligomers as absorbers and in detail deals with devices that incorporate planar‐heterojunctions (PHJ) and bulk heterojunctions (BHJ) between a donor (p‐type semiconductor) and an acceptor (n‐type semiconductor) material. The article pays particular attention to the design and development of molecular materials and their performance in corresponding devices. In recent years, a substantial amount of both, academic and industrial research, has been directed towards organic solar cells, in an effort to develop new materials and to improve their tunability, processability, power conversion efficiency, and stability. On the eve of commercialization of organic solar cells, this review provides an overview over efficiencies attained with small molecules/oligomers in OSCs and reflects materials and device concepts developed over the last decade. Approaches to enhancing the efficiency of organic solar cells are analyzed.