QuESt | Quantum Enhanced Organic Photovoltaics by Strong Coupling of IR Vibrations to an Optical Cavity

Summary
In the quest for solar cell technologies, organic photovoltaics (OPVs) are playing a leading role as a potentially cost-effective and clean solution. Thus, much research has been devoted into increasing power conversion efficiencies (PCE), currently ~10% by optimising material properties at the different steps involved in the conversion of light into charge. There is evidence that charge delocalization and hot charge transfer (CT) states facilitate charge separation at the electron donor/acceptor interface. State-of-the-art OPVs already exhibit very high (>90%) internal quantum efficiencies (IQE). However, PCE relies not only on high IQE but also on minimizing energy loses (e.g. exciton relaxation) and avoiding charge recombination. A possible strategy to increase PCE is to find ways to optimise charge separation that allow simultaneously for high quantum efficiencies and architectures with longer exciton diffusion lengths or lower charge recombination rates. In QuESt we will investigate how to enhance OPV functionality by the emerging approach of modifying material properties through the hybridization of matter and photon states under strong light matter coupling. In particular, the aim of this project is to modify charge separation and eventually PCE in OPVs by engineering strong coupling between IR molecular vibrations and an optical cavity mode. We will develop a theoretical framework to describe the energy structure and charge dynamics in OPVs under strong vibrational coupling that will be benchmarked with non-linear spectroscopy experiments.
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More information & hyperlinks
Web resources: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/799408
Start date: 01-09-2018
End date: 11-12-2022
Total budget - Public funding: 262 269,00 Euro - 262 269,00 Euro
Cordis data

Original description

In the quest for solar cell technologies, organic photovoltaics (OPVs) are playing a leading role as a potentially cost-effective and clean solution. Thus, much research has been devoted into increasing power conversion efficiencies (PCE), currently ~10% by optimising material properties at the different steps involved in the conversion of light into charge. There is evidence that charge delocalization and hot charge transfer (CT) states facilitate charge separation at the electron donor/acceptor interface. State-of-the-art OPVs already exhibit very high (>90%) internal quantum efficiencies (IQE). However, PCE relies not only on high IQE but also on minimizing energy loses (e.g. exciton relaxation) and avoiding charge recombination. A possible strategy to increase PCE is to find ways to optimise charge separation that allow simultaneously for high quantum efficiencies and architectures with longer exciton diffusion lengths or lower charge recombination rates. In QuESt we will investigate how to enhance OPV functionality by the emerging approach of modifying material properties through the hybridization of matter and photon states under strong light matter coupling. In particular, the aim of this project is to modify charge separation and eventually PCE in OPVs by engineering strong coupling between IR molecular vibrations and an optical cavity mode. We will develop a theoretical framework to describe the energy structure and charge dynamics in OPVs under strong vibrational coupling that will be benchmarked with non-linear spectroscopy experiments.

Status

SIGNED

Call topic

MSCA-IF-2017

Update Date

28-04-2024
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Horizon 2020
H2020-EU.1. EXCELLENT SCIENCE
H2020-EU.1.3. EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
H2020-EU.1.3.2. Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
H2020-MSCA-IF-2017
MSCA-IF-2017