Photovoltaic properties of polymer based organic solar cells adapted for non-transparent substrates

This paper explains a semi-transparent photovoltaic device structure using polymer based materials for light harvesting. Poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl):[6,6]-phenyl C(61) butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT: PCBM) and poly(2-methoxy-5-(3',7'-dimethyloctyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene) (MDMO-PPV:PCBM) as photoactive nano-layers were utilized and semi-transparent cells were compared with reference cells. Photoelectrical properties of developed devices were investigated. Also influencing factors of power conversion efficiency of devices were determined and possible application areas including solar harvesting textiles were discussed. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.