SUPERGEN Excitonic Solar Cell Consortium - MAIN CORE

激子太阳能电池是一类基于有机和纳米结构材料的非常规太阳能电池，其中的载流子是通过异质界面产生并同时分离的。它们包括染料敏化纳米晶体电池、有机电池和有机-无机混合电池，在所有情况下，都可以使用低成本的大面积沉积方法在刚性和柔性衬底上实现电池制造。因此，ESCS提供了真正的中长期前景，可以将光伏成本降低到每瓦峰值1美元的重要商业门槛以下。到目前为止，对所有类型的ESC的工作在很大程度上局限于学术和国家研究实验室的基础研究，特别强调提高对设备的理解和细胞效率，最先进的染料细胞为11%，而发育较差的有机细胞(4-5%)和杂交细胞(2-3%)的效率要低得多。然而，近年来，随着全球范围内研究活动的迅速增长，所有类型的ESC的进展无疑令人印象深刻。性能方面的重大改进已经在所有类型的电池中得到证明，SuperGen联盟走在了这一进步的前沿。一些ESCs商业化的初步步骤也已经开始，第一家生产染料敏化电池的制造厂于2007年在英国开业。然而，许多基础研究仍然需要进行，特别是对不太发达的有机和杂交细胞，以及更成熟的染料细胞，在这些细胞中，必须解决许多重要的挑战，才能使未来成功实现商业化。英国在一个新兴的光伏技术领域处于领导这一活动的绝佳位置，而新的SuperGen资金将使该联盟保持在创新研究的前沿，同时利用其与许多相关商业组织的强大联系。我们建议的Main Core计划建立在我们第一个SuperGen项目的成功基础上，该项目从激子太阳能电池的两个主要领域，即染料敏化电池和有机电池的专业知识的整合中受益匪浅。我们将继续促进优化现有细胞类型和创新新类型细胞的想法的交叉交流，总体目标是提高不同类型的ESC的性能。培训将仍然是该联盟的主要优先事项，伙伴大学之间的PDRA和博士生的交流将确保最高质量的多学科研究环境。英国在ESCS研究方面拥有非常强大的国际地位，续签SuperGen计划将有助于确保其在未来几年保持竞争力和创新力。

Excitonic Solar Cells (ESCs) are a class of non-conventional solar cells, based on organic and nanostructured materials, in which the charge carriers are generated and simultaneously separated across a heterointerface. They include dye-sensitized nanocrystalline cells, organic cells and hybrid organic-inorganic cells, and in all cases cell fabrication can be achieved using low cost, large area deposition methods on both rigid and flexible substrates. Consequently, ESCs offer genuine medium to long term prospects for reducing the cost of PV below the commercially important threshold of $1 per watt peak. To date work on all types of ESC has been largely restricted to basic studies in academic and national research laboratories, with particular emphasis on improving device understanding and cell efficiency, which are 11% for state of the art dye cells, and much lower for the less well developed organic (4-5%) and hybrid cells (2-3%). However, progress in all types of ESC has undoubtedly been impressive in recent years, with research activity growing rapidly throughout the world. Major improvements in performance have been demonstrated in all cell types with the SUPERGEN Consortium at the forefront of much of this progress. There have also been initial steps to commercialise some ESCs, with the first manufacturing plant to produce dye sensitised cells opening in the UK in 2007. However, much fundamental research still needs to be carried out, in particular on the less well developed organic and hybrid cells, but also on the more mature dye cells where many important challenges must be addressed to enable future successful commercialisation. The UK is in an excellent position to lead this activity in an emerging area of PV technology and renewed SUPERGEN funding will enable the Consortium to remain at the forefront of innovative research, while exploiting its strong connections to a number of relevant commercial organisations.Our proposed Main Core programme builds on the successes of our first SUPERGEN project which benefited strongly from the integration of expertise and knowledge in the two main areas of excitonic solar cells, namely dye sensitised cells and organic cells. We will continue to promote cross-fertilisation of ideas for optimising existing cell types and for innovating new types of cells, with the overall aim of improving the performance of different types of ESC. Training will remain a key priority for the Consortium and the exchange of PDRAs and PhD students between the partner universities will ensure the highest quality multi-disciplinary research environment. The UK has a very strong international position in research into ESCs and the renewal of the SUPERGEN programme will help ensure it remains both competitive and innovative in future years.