Abstract
A large amount of the demand for energy worldwide is for electricity which in turn goes towards domestic uses, powering electronic devices, communication, lighting, et cetera. Solar energy has thus gained much attention over the past few decades as a clean, renewable and well-distributed source of energy globally. Although Silicon solar cells remain the most purchased solar cells these past few decades and currently have module-scale efficiencies exceeding 20%; emerging solar cell technologies (based on materials such as organic polymers, quantum dots and perovskites) have become increasingly popular and continuously challenge the dominance of Silicon. This is especially true for niche applications where their flexibility, semi-transparency, and range of colours give them advantages over Silicon. In particular, they can be cheaply synthesised and coated into ultrathin layers which makes them ideal for technologies such as disposable electronics, sensors, semi-transparent barriers, and wearables, among others. This thesis presents the results of experiments on these emerging solution-processable optoelectronic materials. The experiments described herein address methodologies such as the use of additives to improve the dielectric constant of organic photovoltaic blends, the related strategy of using the intrinsic dipolar alignment of a ferroelectric polymer to enhance the efficiency of polymer solar cells, as well as topics regarding hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites - such as the light-soaking effect in perovskite solar cells, and the photophysical properties of perovskite-shelled Lead Sulphide quantum dots. The final results improve our understanding of these classes of solution-processable semiconductors and point towards avenues for further material improvements.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Qualification | Doctor of Philosophy |
Awarding Institution |
|
Supervisors/Advisors |
|
Award date | 27-Jan-2020 |
Place of Publication | [Groningen] |
Publisher | |
Print ISBNs | 978-94-034-2288-6 |
Electronic ISBNs | 978-94-034-2287-9 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2020 |