1. Organic Solar Cells Michelle Acosta Andrew Lee Michael Pascual

2. What is an Organic Solar Cell?  Relatively new technology  Third generation solar cell  Made of polymer/plastic  Large molecule that are electrically neutral  Held together by chemical bonds  Dye-sensitized solar cell  The electrode is put into a dye bath containing dye molecules  Left in dye for 24 hours

3. Band Diagram LUMO HOMOLUMO – Lowest unoccupied molecular orbital HOMO – Highest occupied molecular orbital

4. Advantages  Cheap  Mechanically flexible – thin film substrates 1000 times thinner than silicon cells  Low environmental effect  Easily customizable – arbitrary colors

5. Disadvantages  Low stability  Degradation in both light and dark conditions  Low energy conversion efficiency  5% as opposed to 15% for silicon based cells  Short life-span  Standard PV ~ 25 years  Organic ~ 5 years

6. Possible Applications  Cars  Remote Controls  Mobile devices  Cell Phones  Laptops  Tablets  Military  Electricity for tents  Night vision scopes  GPS  Drones

7. Questions?

8. References  http://www.brighthub.com/environment/renewable- energy/articles/95572.aspx http://www.brighthub.com/environment/renewable- energy/articles/95572.aspx  http://goodcleantech.pcmag.com/solar-energy/280271-new-organic- solar-cell-technology-increases-its-lifespan http://goodcleantech.pcmag.com/solar-energy/280271-new-organic- solar-cell-technology-increases-its-lifespan  http://optics.org/news/4/1/36 http://optics.org/news/4/1/36 http://ww w.youtube.com/watc h?v=3KRHJ SOgzcw