Gone are the days when you had to wait for a discovery in one part of the world to get transferred into different zones. NPL (the National Physical Laboratory) scientists have archived a milestone in the metrology of organic photovoltaics – a solar power technology. The up-to-date analysis reveals that a new kind of atomic force microscopy (a smooth polymer-nanowire based organic solar cell) can look into the functioning of an organic photovoltaic cell and associate the three-dimensional nanoscale structure to its execution.
Photovoltaic solar cells are being increasingly used these days as an alternative to conventional energy. Many rooftops can be observed installed with solar panels which convert sunlight into solar energy to furnish electricity to homes and businesses.
Increasing pollution has become a nightmare for environmentalists. Hence, they are looking for an alternative source so that they can relax as well as bring out significant alterations in the world. Organic photovoltaics are a cheaper and flexible alternative to photovoltaic solar cells since they use organic (carbon-based) electronics. The technology involved in the use of organic photovoltaics is on the brink of commercialisation, but only after obstacles like an increase in performance are achieved.
Although the role of morphology in increasing efficiency has been recognised before, it is this research that has demonstrated it is possible to extract structural and electrical information from an organic photovoltaic cell. The technique plays a vital role in proving the efficiency of an organic photovoltaic cell.
As per the research, it is possible to measure structural and electrical details about an organic solar cell, both on the surface and below the surface to a depth of at least 20 nanometers. This new measurement method is based on a technique called photo conducting atomic force microscopy (pc-AFM). This technique uses a nanoscale probe to measure topography and photocurrent generation. Hence, the process provides a direct connection between the nanometer scale morphology of a working organic solar cell and its performance characteristics.
Such a remarkable improvement in the technology will help improve the efficiency of their products by optimising the nanometer-scale structure of the organic photovoltaic material.
