Fabrication and characterization of organic solar cells

• Grant number: 09/09607-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2009
• End date: August 31, 2010
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Roberto Mendonça Faria
• Grantee: Willian Massashi Hisano Natori
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física de São Carlos (IFSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 07/08688-0 - Electronic and optoelectronic polymer devices, AP.TEM

Abstract

The goal of this project is mainly to introduce the student in the science and technology of organic devices (electronics and optoelectronics). For this, in this project the student will build polymeric thin films photovoltaic devices, and will characteize it by electric measuremnts. The structure of the devices will be composed by a transparent electrode (ITO), a thin layer of titanium oxide nanoparticles and a layer of semiconducting polymer, i. e. an ITO/polímero-TiO2/metal structure. The polymer to be used as active layer will be the poly(3-hexyltiophene) (P3HT). The high electronegativity of TiO2 should improve the exciton dissociation, increasing the number of photocarriers: hole-electron pairs.