Operational stability and degradation of organic solar cells

Abstract

Recently, Organic solar cells (OSC) have been increasingly utilized all over the world. The changes made in the organic components of the organic solar cells enable them to exhibit good features such as mechanical flexibility, lightness and high power generation efficiency even under lower light intensities. However, operational stability is an important parameter for organic solar cells. Despite the aforementioned advantages of organic solar cells, degradation in operational environments limits their use in harsh conditions. Studies have shown that the organic layer and the cathode layer of the OSCs are degraded by external factors, and this adversely affects the operational stability and productivity of OSCs considerably. The overall efficiency of an organic solar cell is defined as a function of life cycle and efficiency of energy generation. Therefore, the shorter the life cycle becomes, the lesser the overall efficiency of OSCs gets. Recent studies are focused on improving the operational stability and power generation efficiencies of OSCs by reducing the effects degradation induced by external factors, such as climatic conditions and thermal fatigue. The purpose of this study is to assess how organic solar cells work, how they degrade from external factors, such as water and water vapor, and how these parameters affect the operational stability as well as the efficiency of the organic solar cells.