Recent advances in polymer structures for organic solar cells: A review

Abstract

High energy dependence on fossil fuels and an increase in greenhouse gas emissions are factors that highlight the need for alternative energy sources. Photovoltaic technology is a strong candidate that uses the most abundant resource, solar energy, but what makes its wide use difficult is the high cost of the commercially available devices. Thus, research has been devoted to developing new low-cost photovoltaic systems that are easier to manufacture with high efficiency and durability, such as the third-generation solar cells. According to this study, organic solar cells (OPV) with polymers in the active layers are more prominent concerning power conversion efficiency associated with durability, resulting in great research interest. Furthermore, polymer solar cells are easier to process and can be manufactured on a large scale achieving high efficiencies and stability. This review aims to raise the state of the art about these solar cells, discourse their architectures, current developments on polymer structures, and most relevant challenges for OPV devices, as a search for increased efficiency and stability.