Manufacturable nanoscale architectures for heterojunction solar cells

该项目将为异质结太阳能电池生产可制造的纳米级架构。虽然在“科学”的范围内，但目标是实现工程解决方案，以实现该领域所需的突破（目标效率为10%）。基于分子半导体的激子太阳能电池需要在电子和空穴接受半导体之间存在异质结，以便从光产生的激子中分离电荷。如果要使所有光生激子在衰变前到达异质结，则需要较大的异质结界面面积，这需要复杂的纳米级结构。目前实现这种纳米结构的方法有限，而且这种装置的太阳能电池性能已经停滞不前。因此，我们建议开发通用路线，将纳米级形貌的控制与供体和受体半导体的选择分开。这将代表一个关键的进步，允许一个稳定的过程窗口，并应该允许提高光伏性能，通过更好的形态控制和使用半导体的能力，更好地匹配太阳光谱。这些路线将与低温加工兼容（这对低成本制造至关重要）。我们将使用的一般原则是将形成所需纳米级结构所需的过程与随后形成的有源半导体-半导体异质结分离开来，在这种异质结上实现电荷分离。我们方法的核心是使用“牺牲”聚合物结构，这种结构提供了对纳米级形态的出色控制，然后用有源半导体取代它们。我们将使用由二嵌段共聚物生产的可控纳米级结构

This project will produce manufacturable nanoscale architectures for heterojunction solar cells. Though routed strongly within 'science', the objectives are to achieve engineering solutions to allow the breakthrough needed in this field (target efficiency 10%). Excitonic solar cells based on molecular semiconductors require the presence of a heterojunction between electron and hole-accepting semiconductors in order to separate charges from photogenerated excitons. Large heterojunction interfacial areas are required if all photogenerated excitons are to reach the heterojunction before decaying, and this requires a complex nanoscale architecture. Current methods to achieve this nanostructure and limited and solar cell performance of such devices has stalled. We propose therefore to develop generic routes to separate the control of the nanoscale morphology from the selection of the donor and acceptor semiconductors. This will represent a critical advance in allowing a stable process window, and should allow improved photovoltaic performance through better morphology control and the ability to use semiconductors better matched to the solar spectrum. These routes will be compatible with low temperature processing (this is critical for low-cost manufacturing). The general principle we will use is to separate the processes needed to form the desired nanoscale architecture from the subsequent formation of the active semiconductor-semiconductor heterojunctions at which charge separation is achieved.Central to our approach is the use of 'sacrificial' polymer structures that provide excellent control of nanoscale morphology, and their later replacement with active semiconductors. We will use the controlled nanoscale structures produced using di-block copolymers