Solution processed thick film organic solar cells

Abstract

Solution processed bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) organic solar cells (OSCs) are an emerging next-generation photovoltaic technology. Laboratory-scale power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of OSCs exceeding 10% in single-junction devices and approaching 12% in multijunction devices, respectively, have been achieved. However, the translation of this technology to industrial high throughput manufacturing needs the development of practically useful photoactive materials and processing methods that can produce efficient devices with a large active layer thickness. In this review, we introduce the factors that determine the optimal thickness of the active layer in OSCs at first. The significant advances in materials development and processing methods toward efficient thick film OSCs are summarized subsequently.