Organometallic compounds for photovoltaic applications

Abstract

Organometallic compounds could be an excellent alternative to the organic active layers for solar cells due to several better properties like thermal and chemical stability. These organometallic compounds are electron donor materials which are easily used in donor-acceptor heterojunctions in these solar cells. One of the main problems for the active media in the solar cells is connected with the exciton diffusion length which limits the thickness of the donor layer in these donor-acceptor heterojunctions. A way to improve the exciton diffusion length is better charge transfer between the donor and acceptor facilitating the exciton diffusion towards the electrodes of the solar cells. The adding of electronegative ions or chemical groups could also influence the band alignment between the donor and acceptor smoothing the charge transport across the solar cells.