Study could pave the way for cheap and efficient solar cells

The study, published in the journal Advanced Energy Materials, is said to pave the way for new solar cell manufacturing techniques and the promise of developments in renewable solar energy.

Scientists from the universities of Sheffield and Cambridge used the ISIS Neutron Source and Diamond Light Source at STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire to carry out the research.

Plastic (polymer) solar cells are claimed to be much cheaper to produce than conventional silicon solar cells and have the potential to be produced in large quantities.

The study showed that when complex mixtures of molecules in solution are spread onto a surface, the different molecules separate to the top and bottom of the layer in a way that maximises the efficiency of the resulting solar cell. 

Sheffield’s Dr Andrew Parnell said: ‘Our results give important insights into how ultra-cheap solar energy panels for domestic and industrial use can be manufactured on a large scale.’