Photovoltaic cells based on donor and acceptor nano-particulate conjugates in conductive polymer blends
Inactive Publication Date: 2016-04-21
TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY
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Benefits of technology
The present invention provides a photovoltaic cell with an active layer consisting of multiple n-type and p-type nano-particles of different semiconductor materials distributed in a conductive polymer blend. The photovoltaic cell can be flexible and has improved performance due to the diversity of semiconductor materials and the resulting bandgaps that respond to different wavelengths in the spectrum. The method of manufacturing the photovoltaic cell includes steps of forming layers on a substrate, resulting in a flexible and efficient photovoltaic cell.
Problems solved by technology
Furthermore, silicon solar cells are structurally rigid and therefore not feasible for large area applications.
While these solar cells extended solar absorption as compared to crystalline silicon solar cells, they still do not fully exploit the blue shift in the solar spectrum as is shown with respect to FIG. 3.
While the multi-junction solar cell of the type described above is an improvement over the typical crystalline silicon solar cell, it still does not fully exploit the blue shift in the solar spectrum and is prohibitively expensive to manufacture.
Thus multi-junction solar cells are primarily restricted to space applications.
Further, multi-junction solar cells of the type described above are structurally rigid and not feasible for use in wide area applications.
Method used
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[0022]Referring now to FIG. 5, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a photovoltaic cell 500 receiving solar radiation 502 includes a substrate layer 510, an anode layer 508 on the substrate layer, an active layer 506 on the anode layer, and a cathode layer 504 on the active layer, wherein the active layer 506 comprises a plurality of disparately sized n-type and p-type nano-particles 514, 512 of different semiconductor materials randomly distributed in a conductive polymer blend. The n-type nano-particles 514 can include either ZnO or In2O3 nano-particles, and the p-type nano-particles 512 can include either NiO or La2O3 nano-particles. The conductive polymer blend can include P3HT. The bandgaps of the nano-particles have corresponding energies ranging from the near ultraviolet to the far infrared. The photovoltaic cell according to the present invention can comprise a flexible photovoltaic cell wherein the substrate layer 510 comprises a layer of flexible material. ...
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Abstract
A photovoltaic cell includes a substrate layer, an anode layer on the substrate layer, an active layer on the anode layer, and a cathode layer on the active layer, wherein the active layer comprises a plurality of disparately sized n-type and p-type nano-particles of different semiconductor materials randomly distributed in a conductive polymer blend. The n-type nano-particles can include either ZnO or In2O3 nano-particles, and the p-type nano-particles can include either NiO or La2O3 nano-particles. The conductive polymer blend can include P3HT. The bandgaps of the nano-particles have corresponding energies ranging from the near ultraviolet to the far infrared.
Description
GOVERNMENT LICENSE RIGHTS[0001]This invention was made with government support under W911 NF-11-1-0214 awarded by The Department of the Army. The government has certain rights in the invention.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to photovoltaic cells and more particularly to photovoltaic cells that use n-type and p-type nano-particles suspended in an active layer.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Today there is significant interest in renewable and environmentally friendly energy resources. Photovoltaic and other solar cell technologies are of particular interest and deemed to be important for present and future energy needs and applications. Crystalline silicon (Si) solar cells are the most prevalent today given the current state of the art. Crystalline silicon solar cells are based on the formation of a junction between n-type and p-type materials, wherein, as is known in the art, n-type materials have electrons as the majority carries and p-type materials hav...
Claims
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Login to View More IPC IPC(8): H01L51/42H01L51/00
CPCH01L51/426H01L51/0037H01L51/0097H10K85/113H10K77/111H10K30/35H10K30/50Y02E10/549Y02P70/50H01L31/0352
InventorKORIVI, NAGADAS, KALYAN
OwnerTUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY