A process that is already used in organic solar cells and OLED sheets available on some mobile phones, which must be protected by glass against oxygen and moisture. Now a group of researchers from Georgia Tech, led by Bernard Kippelen, has achieved a new way to reduce the work of a conductor, and thus have achieved what would be the
first plastic solar cell.
The team used an inexpensive material, ecological, and readily available: a polymer. After processing and spreading it on a thin layer (10 nm) on a driver, they saw that the interaction became stable in air. The reactive metal replacement polymer completely changes the requirements for producing electronic components, making it possible to lower costs. Therefore, the advantage of a solar cell is plastic that can be manufactured at a lower cost than conventional
crystalline silicon.
According to Bernard Kippelen, this technology will eliminate certain restrictions so far imposed on electronics, but there is still a long way to go before it reaches commercial production.