Performance, Crystallinity, and Charge Lifetime in Scalable Organic Solar Cells

Organic solar cells (OSCs) are an emerging form of solar energy which can generate high performance, low-cost solar cells compared to traditional technology. However, the large-scale production of OSCs is limited by traditional spin coating techniques which cannot be scaled up. For production, a scalable deposition method is roll to roll manufacturing. Here we study the performance, charge carrier lifetime and morphology of an analogue of roll to roll (blade coating) to determine the morphological characteristics which result in superior performance. The same performance can be achieved with blade coating compared to spin coating while the crystallinity is different. Transient Photovoltage measurements will determine the impact of crystallinity on charge lifetime. Understanding and controlling the interplay of these factors will improve OSC technology to ultimately replace traditional solar energy.