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Project

FWO travel grant for a short stay at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (R-6175)

Over the past two decades, organic photovoltaics (OPV) have evolved into an attractive solar energy technology. Besides the general advantages of thin-film photovoltaics - reduced weight, flexibility and (semi)transparency - organic solar cells show additional interesting features such as improved low-light performance, narrow band widths, design freedom (color and uniformity), and compatibility to large scale (roll-to-roll) printing techniques. At present, power conversion efficiencies (PCE's) in the range of 11% have been achieved for single junction solution-processed OPV devices through simultaneous photoactive material, interlayer and device optimization. In recent years, the use of interfacial layers to boost the inherent I-V parameters of organic and hybrid solar cells has become very popular. However, the detailed working mechanism of these interfacial layers, in particular with respect to the structural properties of the employed materials, remains unclear at this stage. The generally accepted basic understanding involves the formation of an interfacial dipole, lowering the series resistance and thereby facilitating charge extraction. To deepen our knowledge on the effects of different interlayer materials, impedance spectroscopy is particularly interesting to study interfacial phenomena. As the background in impedance spectroscopy is limited at Hasselt University, a scientific stay in the established group of E. Von Hauff at the VUAmsterdam with strong expertise in impedance spectroscopy would be of enormous value for our continued interlayer research.
Date:3 May 2015 →  24 May 2015
Keywords:cathode interlayers, impedance spectroscopy, Organic photovoltaics
Disciplines:(Bio)chemical engineering, Materials engineering