Conjugated polymers for solar cell applications

Abstract

Conjugated polymers (CPs) have become the focus of major research and development initiatives owing to their exceptional and tunable properties as well as their applicability in different fields. Further, solar cell technology represents an existing renewable energy technology that has attracted considerable attention in recent years. Today, it has become the most promising area to turn to with regards to worldwide energy issues. This is because it offers the possibility to minimize greenhouse gas emissions as well as the detrimental environmental effects of the ever increasing consumption of energy from nonrenewable sources worldwide in recent decades. Furthermore, CPs have tremendous potential advantages, such as renewability, low cost, light weight, greater flexibility, superior optical absorption, large area production, and easy processability. In this chapter, we provide an oversight of current achievements regarding the application of CPs in various classes of solar cells, which are here presented and analyzed considering different examples of active materials. The advantages of CPs and the challenges associated with their use in this regard are also introduced in this chapter. Additionally, we also discuss the basic fundamental concepts and techniques for CP synthesis as well as the basic working principle, device architecture, characterization, photovoltaic key parameters, and strategy for enhancing the performance of organic solar cells. The trump card of CPs in solar cell applications is the major focus of this chapter. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.