3 results about "Polymer solar cell" patented technology

A polymer solar cell is a type of flexible solar cell made with polymers, large molecules with repeating structural units, that produce electricity from sunlight by the photovoltaic effect. Polymer solar cells include organic solar cells. They are one type of thin film solar cell, others include the more stable amorphous silicon solar cell. Most commercial solar cells are made from a refined, highly purified silicon crystal, similar to the material used in the manufacture of integrated circuits and computer chips. The high cost of these silicon solar cells and their complex production process generated interest in alternative technologies. Compared to silicon-based devices, polymer solar cells are lightweight, potentially disposable and inexpensive to fabricate, flexible, customizable on the molecular level and potentially have smaller negative environmental impact. An example device is shown in Fig. 1. The disadvantages of polymer solar cells are also serious: they offer about 1/3 of the efficiency of hard materials, and experience substantial photochemical degradation.