Fullerene Thin Films as Photovoltaic Material

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    21 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    This chapter explores fullerene thin films as photovoltaic material. Carbon is a unique element existing in a wide variety of stable forms ranging from insulator/semiconducting diamond to metallic graphite. Crystals and thin films of pristine C60 are found to exhibit n-type semiconductor-like behavior in their optical and electronic properties while, at the same time, retaining their molecular character. The chapter reviews structure, properties, and prospects of fullerene thin films for photovoltaics and presents a comprehensive picture of the state-of-the-art and future directions of fullerene-based solar cell research. Special attention is paid to the excitonic mechanism of photogeneration in these devices that requires a sophisticated nanostructural engineering of fullerene-based photovoltaic materials and devices compromising the requirements of thin photo-active layers with an effective light absorption, photogeneration, and transport of free carriers. Examples of device architecture that may satisfy these challenging requirements include fullerene/amorphous carbon multiheterojunctions and quantum wells, fullerene/conjugated polymer bulk heterojunctions with controlled morphology, "double-cable" donor-acceptor systems, fullerene/phthalocyanine p-i-n single and multijunctions, carbon nanotube, and quantum dots based solar cells. Efficiencies of 5% have now been reported. Based on current trends efficiency up to 10% appears to be within reach in the near future.

    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationNanostructured Materials for Solar Energy Conversion
    PublisherElsevier
    Pages361-443
    Number of pages83
    ISBN (Print)9780444528445
    DOIs
    StatePublished - 1 Dec 2006

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • General Chemistry

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