Polymer Solar Cell - Commercialization

Commercialization

At the moment, an open question is to what degree polymer solar cells can commercially compete with silicon solar cells and the other thin-film cells. The silicon solar cell industry has the important industrial advantage of being able to leverage the infrastructure developed for the computer industry. Besides, the present efficiency of polymer solar cells lies near 10%, much below the value for silicon cells. Polymer solar cells also suffer from environmental degradation owing the lack of effective protective coatings.

Further improvements in performance are needed to promote charge carrier diffusion; transport must be enhanced through control of order and morphology; and interface engineering must be applied to the problem of charge transfer across interfaces. Novel molecular chemistries and materials offer hope for revolutionary, rather than evolutionary, breakthroughs in future device efficiencies.