Radiation Study of the Organic Photovoltaic Cell P3HT:PCBM
type: CreativeWork
description: The need for inexpensive, dependable, radiation hard solar cells for use in space applications has led to attention being focused on organic semiconductor based solar cells. Such cells are lightweight, flexible and are potentially useful in conformal coverage applications. While these solar cells are less efficient (presently < 12%) than traditional silicon or III-V semiconductor based solar cells, the reduced efficiency is compensated for by their lower weight. This leads to a higher specific power and hence a lower load for launch. Furthermore, their flexibility is a particularly positive attribute since this renders them less vulnerable to vibration damage during the launch process. It must also be added that since one envisages solution processing deposition of the organic cells on very large area sheets (roll by roll technology) one can then also imagine a scenario in which a chosen panel area can be simply tailored from a large roll, thereby speeding up the process of solar panel production. Before this somewhat futuristic approach to low power solar panel production can become a reality for space applications, a full evaluation/understanding of their behavior in a radiation environment is necessary. In this work, a detailed study has been performed on the archetypal organic photovoltaic P3HT:PCBM. The interest of the applicability of organic photo-cells for use in space based solar panels is derived from the recognition that unusual' conditions exist which are not generally addressed by the organic photo-cell community. The defense presentation will cover the findings of pre-irradiation, irradiation, and post-irradiation characteristics; determination of the physical mechanisms resulting in the dominant photo-carrier loss mechanism, and a detailed investigation of the radiation effects. Transient photo-voltage (TPV) measurements were utilized to evaluate carrier relaxation times in P3HT:PCBM based photo-cells over a wide range of open circuit voltages. Satisf…
abstract: The need for inexpensive, dependable, radiation hard solar cells for use in space applications has led to attention being focused on organic semiconductor based solar cells. Such cells are lightweight, flexible and are potentially useful in conformal coverage applications. While these solar cells are less efficient (presently < 12%) than traditional silicon or III-V semiconductor based solar cells, the reduced efficiency is compensated for by their lower weight. This leads to a higher specific power and hence a lower load for launch. Furthermore, their flexibility is a particularly positive attribute since this renders them less vulnerable to vibration damage during the launch process. It must also be added that since one envisages solution processing deposition of the organic cells on very large area sheets (roll by roll technology) one can then also imagine a scenario in which a chosen panel area can be simply tailored from a large roll, thereby speeding up the process of solar panel production. Before this somewhat futuristic approach to low power solar panel production can become a reality for space applications, a full evaluation/understanding of their behavior in a radiation environment is necessary. In this work, a detailed study has been performed on the archetypal organic photovoltaic P3HT:PCBM. The interest of the applicability of organic photo-cells for use in space based solar panels is derived from the recognition that unusual' conditions exist which are not generally addressed by the organic photo-cell community. The defense presentation will cover the findings of pre-irradiation, irradiation, and post-irradiation characteristics; determination of the physical mechanisms resulting in the dominant photo-carrier loss mechanism, and a detailed investigation of the radiation effects. Transient photo-voltage (TPV) measurements were utilized to evaluate carrier relaxation times in P3HT:PCBM based photo-cells over a wide range of open circuit voltages. Satisf…
author: Kouhestani, Camron
language: English
keywords: OPV, Radiation Effects, Organic Photovoltaic, Solar Power
date published: 2015-01-28T08:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T05:27:19Z
provider: University of New Mexico
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of New Mexico