Color-neutral, semitransparent organic photovoltaics for power window applications

Li, Yongxi; Guo, Xia; Peng, Zhengxing; Qu, Boning; Yan, Hongping; Ade, Harald; Zhang, Maojie; Forrest, Stephen R.

doi:10.1073/pnas.2007799117

Color-neutral, semitransparent organic photovoltaics for power window applications

Journal Article · Mon Aug 17 00:00:00 EDT 2020 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2007799117· OSTI ID:1647873

; Guo, Xia; Peng, Zhengxing; Qu, Boning; Yan, Hongping; Ade, Harald; ;

Semitransparent organic photovoltaic cells (ST-OPVs) are emerging as a solution for solar energy harvesting on building facades, rooftops, and windows. However, the trade-off between power-conversion efficiency (PCE) and the average photopic transmission (APT) in color-neutral devices limits their utility as attractive, power-generating windows. A color-neutral ST-OPV is demonstrated by using a transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) anode along with a narrow energy gap nonfullerene acceptor near-infrared (NIR) absorbing cell and outcoupling (OC) coatings on the exit surface. The device exhibits PCE = 8.1 ± 0.3% and APT = 43.3 ± 1.2% that combine to achieve a light-utilization efficiency of LUE = 3.5 ± 0.1%. Commission Internationale d’eclairage chromaticity coordinates of (0.38, 0.39), a color-rendering index of 86, and a correlated color temperature of 4,143 K are obtained for simulated AM1.5 illumination transmitted through the cell. Using an ultrathin metal anode in place of ITO, we demonstrate a slightly green-tinted ST-OPV with PCE = 10.8 ± 0.5% and APT = 45.7 ± 2.1% yielding LUE = 5.0 ± 0.3% These results indicate that ST-OPVs can combine both efficiency and color neutrality in a single device.

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Research Organization:: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: Jiangsu Provincial Natural Science Foundation; National Natural Science Foundation of China; USDOE; USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-05CH11231; EE0008561

OSTI ID:: 1647873

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1673042

Journal Information:: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Journal Name: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Journal Issue: 35 Vol. 117; ISSN 0027-8424

Publisher:: National Academy of SciencesCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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