SUPERGEN Excitonic Solar Cell Consortium - MAIN CORE

激子太阳能电池（ESCs）是一类基于有机和纳米结构材料的非常规太阳能电池，其电荷载流子产生并同时通过异质界面分离。它们包括染料敏化纳米晶电池、有机电池和有机-无机混合电池，在所有情况下，电池制造都可以使用低成本、在刚性和柔性衬底上大面积沉积的方法来实现。因此，ESCs提供了真正的中长期前景，将光伏发电的成本降低到每瓦1美元的商业重要门槛以下。迄今为止，所有类型ESC的工作主要局限于学术和国家研究实验室的基础研究，特别强调提高设备理解和细胞效率，最先进的染料细胞为11%，而不太发达的有机细胞（4-5%）和杂交细胞（2-3%）要低得多。然而，近年来，随着世界各地的研究活动迅速增长，所有类型的ESC的进展无疑令人印象深刻。在所有类型的细胞中，性能都有了重大改善，而SUPERGEN财团在这一进展中处于领先地位。一些ESCs的商业化也已经迈出了初步的步伐，2007年，第一家生产染料敏化细胞的工厂在英国开业。然而，许多基础研究仍然需要进行，特别是在不太发达的有机和混合细胞上，但也需要在更成熟的染料细胞上进行许多重要的挑战，以使未来成功的商业化。在新兴的光伏技术领域，英国处于领先地位，更新的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。我们提出的主要核心项目建立在我们第一个SUPERGEN项目的成功基础上，该项目得益于激子太阳能电池两个主要领域（即染料敏化电池和有机电池）的专业知识和知识的整合。我们将继续促进优化现有细胞类型和创新新细胞类型的思想交流，以提高不同类型ESC的性能为总体目标。培训仍将是该联盟的一个关键优先事项，合作大学之间的博士生和博士生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，SUPERGEN项目的更新将有助于确保其在未来几年保持竞争力和创新性。

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.