CA1229221A - Organic p-n junction with antenna - Google Patents
Organic p-n junction with antennaInfo
- Publication number
- CA1229221A CA1229221A CA000453750A CA453750A CA1229221A CA 1229221 A CA1229221 A CA 1229221A CA 000453750 A CA000453750 A CA 000453750A CA 453750 A CA453750 A CA 453750A CA 1229221 A CA1229221 A CA 1229221A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- junction
- light
- polymer
- organic
- photovoltaic cell
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
- 229920000642 polymer Polymers 0.000 claims abstract description 26
- YNPNZTXNASCQKK-UHFFFAOYSA-N phenanthrene Chemical compound C1=CC=C2C3=CC=CC=C3C=CC2=C1 YNPNZTXNASCQKK-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims abstract description 12
- 150000004032 porphyrins Chemical class 0.000 claims abstract description 10
- 239000000975 dye Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 8
- AZQWKYJCGOJGHM-UHFFFAOYSA-N 1,4-benzoquinone Chemical compound O=C1C=CC(=O)C=C1 AZQWKYJCGOJGHM-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims abstract description 6
- UFWIBTONFRDIAS-UHFFFAOYSA-N Naphthalene Chemical compound C1=CC=CC2=CC=CC=C21 UFWIBTONFRDIAS-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 9
- MWPLVEDNUUSJAV-UHFFFAOYSA-N anthracene Chemical compound C1=CC=CC2=CC3=CC=CC=C3C=C21 MWPLVEDNUUSJAV-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 8
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 claims description 7
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 abstract description 4
- 230000031700 light absorption Effects 0.000 abstract 2
- 241001663154 Electron Species 0.000 abstract 1
- HWDFZWVXKWKIHT-UHFFFAOYSA-N anthracene;naphthalene Chemical compound C1=CC=CC2=CC=CC=C21.C1=CC=CC2=CC3=CC=CC=C3C=C21 HWDFZWVXKWKIHT-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 abstract 1
- 210000004027 cell Anatomy 0.000 description 18
- LOUPRKONTZGTKE-WZBLMQSHSA-N Quinine Chemical compound C([C@H]([C@H](C1)C=C)C2)C[N@@]1[C@@H]2[C@H](O)C1=CC=NC2=CC=C(OC)C=C21 LOUPRKONTZGTKE-WZBLMQSHSA-N 0.000 description 6
- 229930002875 chlorophyll Natural products 0.000 description 6
- 235000019804 chlorophyll Nutrition 0.000 description 6
- ATNHDLDRLWWWCB-AENOIHSZSA-M chlorophyll a Chemical compound C1([C@@H](C(=O)OC)C(=O)C2=C3C)=C2N2C3=CC(C(CC)=C3C)=[N+]4C3=CC3=C(C=C)C(C)=C5N3[Mg-2]42[N+]2=C1[C@@H](CCC(=O)OC\C=C(/C)CCC[C@H](C)CCC[C@H](C)CCCC(C)C)[C@H](C)C2=C5 ATNHDLDRLWWWCB-AENOIHSZSA-M 0.000 description 6
- 238000006243 chemical reaction Methods 0.000 description 5
- CURLTUGMZLYLDI-UHFFFAOYSA-N Carbon dioxide Chemical compound O=C=O CURLTUGMZLYLDI-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 4
- 230000005284 excitation Effects 0.000 description 4
- 230000027756 respiratory electron transport chain Effects 0.000 description 4
- 235000001258 Cinchona calisaya Nutrition 0.000 description 3
- LOUPRKONTZGTKE-UHFFFAOYSA-N cinchonine Natural products C1C(C(C2)C=C)CCN2C1C(O)C1=CC=NC2=CC=C(OC)C=C21 LOUPRKONTZGTKE-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- 239000003574 free electron Substances 0.000 description 3
- 239000010410 layer Substances 0.000 description 3
- 150000002894 organic compounds Chemical class 0.000 description 3
- 108090000623 proteins and genes Proteins 0.000 description 3
- 102000004169 proteins and genes Human genes 0.000 description 3
- 229960000948 quinine Drugs 0.000 description 3
- XEEYBQQBJWHFJM-UHFFFAOYSA-N Iron Chemical compound [Fe] XEEYBQQBJWHFJM-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 125000003118 aryl group Chemical group 0.000 description 2
- 229910002092 carbon dioxide Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 239000001569 carbon dioxide Substances 0.000 description 2
- 210000003763 chloroplast Anatomy 0.000 description 2
- 150000001875 compounds Chemical class 0.000 description 2
- 229930195733 hydrocarbon Natural products 0.000 description 2
- 150000002430 hydrocarbons Chemical class 0.000 description 2
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000012528 membrane Substances 0.000 description 2
- VUZPPFZMUPKLLV-UHFFFAOYSA-N methane;hydrate Chemical compound C.O VUZPPFZMUPKLLV-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 239000011368 organic material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 210000002377 thylakoid Anatomy 0.000 description 2
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 239000004215 Carbon black (E152) Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920005479 Lucite® Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 238000010521 absorption reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000007321 biological mechanism Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000005465 channeling Effects 0.000 description 1
- 108091000085 chlorophyll binding Proteins 0.000 description 1
- 239000002322 conducting polymer Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920001940 conductive polymer Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000004020 conductor Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010494 dissociation reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000005593 dissociations Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 235000000396 iron Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 229910052742 iron Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 230000009191 jumping Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000005012 migration Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000013508 migration Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000178 monomer Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000004926 polymethyl methacrylate Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920001296 polysiloxane Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000002356 single layer Substances 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B82—NANOTECHNOLOGY
- B82Y—SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES
- B82Y10/00—Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10K—ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES
- H10K10/00—Organic devices specially adapted for rectifying, amplifying, oscillating or switching; Organic capacitors or resistors having potential barriers
- H10K10/701—Organic molecular electronic devices
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10K—ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES
- H10K30/00—Organic devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation
- H10K30/20—Organic devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation comprising organic-organic junctions, e.g. donor-acceptor junctions
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10K—ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES
- H10K85/00—Organic materials used in the body or electrodes of devices covered by this subclass
- H10K85/30—Coordination compounds
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10K—ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES
- H10K85/00—Organic materials used in the body or electrodes of devices covered by this subclass
- H10K85/60—Organic compounds having low molecular weight
- H10K85/615—Polycyclic condensed aromatic hydrocarbons, e.g. anthracene
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10K—ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES
- H10K30/00—Organic devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation
- H10K30/50—Photovoltaic [PV] devices
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
- Y02E10/50—Photovoltaic [PV] energy
- Y02E10/549—Organic PV cells
Landscapes
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Nanotechnology (AREA)
- Spectroscopy & Molecular Physics (AREA)
- Materials Engineering (AREA)
- Inorganic Chemistry (AREA)
- Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
- Crystallography & Structural Chemistry (AREA)
- Mathematical Physics (AREA)
- Electromagnetism (AREA)
- Photovoltaic Devices (AREA)
- Hybrid Cells (AREA)
Abstract
TITLE
AN ORGANIC P-N JUNCTION
WITH ANTENNA
INVENTORS
James R BOLTON and James Edwin GUILLET
ABSTRACT
An organic P-N junction preferably made of a porphyrin interlined with a quinone at a distance of between 10 .ANG. and 40 .ANG. is known in the art and although its theoretical efficiency is 16% to 18%, its actual efficiency is about 1% due to the inefficiency in the absorption of light at the molecule sur-face. The absorption of light can be increased from 1% to al-most 100% and the theoretical efficiency therefore of the P-N
junction can be increased from approximately 1% to the theore-tical limit of 16% to 18% by disposing upon the P-N junction material an antenna comprising a polymer disposing therein sensitizers preferably organic dyes which absorb light and cause the light to be cascadingly transferred through the polymer and deposited at the surface of the donor region of the P-N junction where the light is then absorbed and the P-N
junction liberates an electron. Preferred dyes which act as sensitizers and are appropriately light transmissive and elec-tron conductive are polymers including naphthalene anthracene and phenanthrene.
AN ORGANIC P-N JUNCTION
WITH ANTENNA
INVENTORS
James R BOLTON and James Edwin GUILLET
ABSTRACT
An organic P-N junction preferably made of a porphyrin interlined with a quinone at a distance of between 10 .ANG. and 40 .ANG. is known in the art and although its theoretical efficiency is 16% to 18%, its actual efficiency is about 1% due to the inefficiency in the absorption of light at the molecule sur-face. The absorption of light can be increased from 1% to al-most 100% and the theoretical efficiency therefore of the P-N
junction can be increased from approximately 1% to the theore-tical limit of 16% to 18% by disposing upon the P-N junction material an antenna comprising a polymer disposing therein sensitizers preferably organic dyes which absorb light and cause the light to be cascadingly transferred through the polymer and deposited at the surface of the donor region of the P-N junction where the light is then absorbed and the P-N
junction liberates an electron. Preferred dyes which act as sensitizers and are appropriately light transmissive and elec-tron conductive are polymers including naphthalene anthracene and phenanthrene.
Description
This invention relates to an improved photovoltaic cell having a P-N junction of organic material. More particularly super adjacent thereto the organic junction disposes an effi-client light collecting media, synthetically formed to enhance significantly the efficiency of electron transfer within the P-N junction.
One of the co-inventors has disclosed a molecular P-N
junction formed of an organic compound which has a molecular portion susceptible of electron donation and another molecular portion susceptible of electron acceptance, each of these two portions interconnected by an essentially inert linkage portion, the three portions constituting an organic compound or single organic molecule [1]. In that particular disclosure a monolayer of such organic molecules form the photovoltaic cell and a preferred molecular composition for the organic P-N
junction is disclosed. The preferred organic P-N junction nay a porphyrin as a donor and a quinine as an acceptor inter-linked at about 10 to 40 A by an organic chain. One of the disadvantages of such cell is the small fraction of the global light striking the cell surface that is actually absorbed and used to generate free electrons, less than 1% of the light is so absorbed by the junction. Although this is as good or slightly better than most commercial silicone solar cells, the theoretical efficiency of such organic P-N junction is 16 % to 18~.
Additional background to the invention.
It is known in the prior art that a "biological solar cell" exists in every living plant. This biological cell employs chlorophyll as the light absorbing composition to disk society electrons using sunlight absorbed and to manufacture hydrocarbons by the absorption of the plant of carbon dioxide and water. These biological solar cells comprise essentially a reaction - center protein embedded in a thylakoid membrane of the chloroplast. The chlorophyll molecules are also located in the membrane and function to channel the excitation energy absorbed from the photons to the reaction centers where electrons are dissociated.
~Z92~
Although the high quantum energy of biological reaction center protein is still a puzzle to those skilled in the art and exploring the same, it appears that nature has achieved a very difficult task of assuring rapid and efficient forward electron transfer, while at the same time preventing spinet-nexus back reaction which would recombine the dissociated electron and hole pair. In effect, the reaction center pro-loin is an almost perfect photo diode. However this facility has its price in that eve of energy is lost in the primary electron transfer while an electron is moved 20 to 30 R away from the primary donor in the reaction center protein. For the purposes of understanding this invention this biological mechanism need not be further elaborated.
The invention The invention therefore has as one of its objects to increase the efficiency of electron transfer of an organic P-N
junction by incorporating along one surface thereof an elect-non conducting polymer that acts as a means for efficiently conveying electric energy to the junction whereby the elect irons may be dissociated and a photovoltaic cell thereby achieved.
The advantages of such a cell lie in its inherent skimp-Lucite of manufacture, low material requirements, and a mini-mum amount of key organic compounds (the P-N junction material); about 1 kilogram of P-N junction material will pro-dupe 1 square kilometer of P-N junction.
Specifically, a porphyrin-quinone which is inter-linked by an intent chain and constituting a single organic molecule operates as a P-N junction. The particular molecule is often-ted on a substrate so as to commonly orient porphyrins andquinones. On the porphyrin surfaces, a polymer, light trays-missive and conductive to electrons, is disposed over the porphyrin and acts an an antenna for conveying excitation energy of the photons to the reaction center, (porphyrin/
quinine linked molecules) whereupon dissociation of electrons takes place in the porphyrin/quinone molecule in a manner as heretofore described in the aforesaid patent. The organic - 12;29Z;~
polymer is any aromatic ring possessing sensitizers that capture light and convey it through the polymer to deposit the light at the P-N junction. Typical sensitizers are organic dyes of the group naphthalene, anthracene and phenanthrene.
An appropriate polymer that acts as an antenna for the conveyance of electrons and of light and their respective deposit at the porphyrin can be any polymer wherein the sense-titers are covalently linked to the backbone of the polymer.
Alternatively, as a solute appropriate sensitizer as alone-said, preferably napthalene, anthracene or phenanthrene is placed in a monomer and then cast or polymerized so that the sensitizer becomes an occlusion within the polymer. As such in that polymer environment the sensitizer also captures and conveys light. Generally any organic dye is satisfactory as a sensitizer, but naphthalene, anthracene and phenanthrene are preferred The invention therefore contemplates a photovoltaic cell comprising;
(a) a conductive substrate;
(b) a layer of organic P-N junction molecules, each molecule containing a donor and an acceptor region, interlined a predetermined distance, the molecules oriented so acceptor regions are carried by the sub-striate;
(c) a polymer antenna possessing sensitizers for capturing light, and capable of conveying electrons there through, disposed over the P-N junction; and, (d) conductive means electrically communicating with the polymer whereby to provide a current path thereto whereupon the photovoltaic cell, when exposed to light, current flows out of the P-N junction into the substrate to return through an exterior circuit to the conducting means and into the polymer.
The invention further contemplates a light absorbing and transmissive polymer, electrically conducting, comprising a polymer of aromatic rings, carrying light sensitizers selected from organic dyes.
~;29;;~Z~ `
The invention will now be described by way of example and reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic cross-section of a biological photo cell employing chlorophyll Figure 2 is a cross-section of an ultra thin solar cell according to the invention Referring now to figure 1, a conceptual diagrammatic cross-section of a chloroplast of a plant leaf 10 includes an antenna system 15 of layers of chlorophyll entities (Cal) 16, 17 and 18 disposed upon a thylakoid membrane 19 which has a plurality of reaction centers 20 for generating free electrons en. (In the real system the chlorophyll entities 16, 17 and 18 are located in chlorophyll-protein complexes in the phyla-kid membrane - the diagram in figure 1 is meant to show the functionality and not the geometric arrangement of to combo-newts.) The layers of chlorophyll 16, 17 and 18 act as anion-nay to the sunlight rays thereby conveying or channeling photon excitation energy through the system 15 to the reaction centers 20 where electrons are released as en as the firs-t step of the plant converting carbon dioxide and water, utile-zing sunlight, into hydrocarbon according to the generally accepted equation light C2 + H20 1/6 C6H126 Jo 2 Referring now to figure 2 and to the invention, compound photo cells are a biomimicry of that of figure 1 and consist of a compound photovoltaic cell 30 comprising a plurality of oriented donor, and acceptor, regions covalently linked together in the same molecule and located as a P-N junction region 40 of the cell 30. The actual covalently linked donor-acceptor molecule can be any of those disclosed in the alone-said U.S.A. patent by Boston et alp and hence includes a porphyrin covalently linked to a quinine wherein the covalent linkage is preferably between 10 @ -to I @ where the molecule may be of the following formula ~2~32Z~
, . , SHEA C~~(CH2)n--O--C--CH2--O
[~133 Where n is an integer valued at 1 through 10 preferably in the range of 2, 3 or I
Alternatively, the covalent linkage structure can be an aside of the following structure, I Ox Where n = 2, 3 or 4, or with the following structure, I
I Jo C C Ho--H
On top the P-N junction region 40 is a transparent to light polymer 50 containing occluded molecular sensitizers S. On the upper surface of the polymer 50 is a conductive grid 55 which comes into contact with the polymer 50 and extends into I Jo an electrode 56 for connection to the load AL. When photons 12 strike the upper surface of the mass 50 since they can pass through openings in the grid 55, they strike the son-sitized molecules S creating excited molecules S* migrates through the polymer to be absorbed by one of the plurality of donor interlined acceptor molecules in the P-N junction region 40, the D and A regions become Do, and A- as the elect iron en moves from the donor region D to the acceptor region A
in a manner as aforesaid described in the aforesaid Boston patent. Free electrons from acceptor region of the molecule flow into the conductive substrate 41, connecting electrode 42 and conductor 43 and hence into the load AL and is returned into the grid 55. Arrows 12' in the polymer 50 ill-striate the migration of excitation energy through the polymer jumping from sensitizer to sensitizer cascadingly down to the donor D in the P-N junction region 40. For optimum antenna performance the sensitizers must absorb sunlight of shorter wavelengths than that of the donor D. Hence, suitable organic dyes that act as good sensitizers should be naphthalene, ant-Rosen and phenanthrene.
FOOTNOTES
[1] James R. Boston et at. PHOTOVOLTAIC CELL HAVING P-N
JUNCTION OF ORGANIC MATERIALS, U.S.A. Patent No.
4,360,703 issued 23 November, 1982.
One of the co-inventors has disclosed a molecular P-N
junction formed of an organic compound which has a molecular portion susceptible of electron donation and another molecular portion susceptible of electron acceptance, each of these two portions interconnected by an essentially inert linkage portion, the three portions constituting an organic compound or single organic molecule [1]. In that particular disclosure a monolayer of such organic molecules form the photovoltaic cell and a preferred molecular composition for the organic P-N
junction is disclosed. The preferred organic P-N junction nay a porphyrin as a donor and a quinine as an acceptor inter-linked at about 10 to 40 A by an organic chain. One of the disadvantages of such cell is the small fraction of the global light striking the cell surface that is actually absorbed and used to generate free electrons, less than 1% of the light is so absorbed by the junction. Although this is as good or slightly better than most commercial silicone solar cells, the theoretical efficiency of such organic P-N junction is 16 % to 18~.
Additional background to the invention.
It is known in the prior art that a "biological solar cell" exists in every living plant. This biological cell employs chlorophyll as the light absorbing composition to disk society electrons using sunlight absorbed and to manufacture hydrocarbons by the absorption of the plant of carbon dioxide and water. These biological solar cells comprise essentially a reaction - center protein embedded in a thylakoid membrane of the chloroplast. The chlorophyll molecules are also located in the membrane and function to channel the excitation energy absorbed from the photons to the reaction centers where electrons are dissociated.
~Z92~
Although the high quantum energy of biological reaction center protein is still a puzzle to those skilled in the art and exploring the same, it appears that nature has achieved a very difficult task of assuring rapid and efficient forward electron transfer, while at the same time preventing spinet-nexus back reaction which would recombine the dissociated electron and hole pair. In effect, the reaction center pro-loin is an almost perfect photo diode. However this facility has its price in that eve of energy is lost in the primary electron transfer while an electron is moved 20 to 30 R away from the primary donor in the reaction center protein. For the purposes of understanding this invention this biological mechanism need not be further elaborated.
The invention The invention therefore has as one of its objects to increase the efficiency of electron transfer of an organic P-N
junction by incorporating along one surface thereof an elect-non conducting polymer that acts as a means for efficiently conveying electric energy to the junction whereby the elect irons may be dissociated and a photovoltaic cell thereby achieved.
The advantages of such a cell lie in its inherent skimp-Lucite of manufacture, low material requirements, and a mini-mum amount of key organic compounds (the P-N junction material); about 1 kilogram of P-N junction material will pro-dupe 1 square kilometer of P-N junction.
Specifically, a porphyrin-quinone which is inter-linked by an intent chain and constituting a single organic molecule operates as a P-N junction. The particular molecule is often-ted on a substrate so as to commonly orient porphyrins andquinones. On the porphyrin surfaces, a polymer, light trays-missive and conductive to electrons, is disposed over the porphyrin and acts an an antenna for conveying excitation energy of the photons to the reaction center, (porphyrin/
quinine linked molecules) whereupon dissociation of electrons takes place in the porphyrin/quinone molecule in a manner as heretofore described in the aforesaid patent. The organic - 12;29Z;~
polymer is any aromatic ring possessing sensitizers that capture light and convey it through the polymer to deposit the light at the P-N junction. Typical sensitizers are organic dyes of the group naphthalene, anthracene and phenanthrene.
An appropriate polymer that acts as an antenna for the conveyance of electrons and of light and their respective deposit at the porphyrin can be any polymer wherein the sense-titers are covalently linked to the backbone of the polymer.
Alternatively, as a solute appropriate sensitizer as alone-said, preferably napthalene, anthracene or phenanthrene is placed in a monomer and then cast or polymerized so that the sensitizer becomes an occlusion within the polymer. As such in that polymer environment the sensitizer also captures and conveys light. Generally any organic dye is satisfactory as a sensitizer, but naphthalene, anthracene and phenanthrene are preferred The invention therefore contemplates a photovoltaic cell comprising;
(a) a conductive substrate;
(b) a layer of organic P-N junction molecules, each molecule containing a donor and an acceptor region, interlined a predetermined distance, the molecules oriented so acceptor regions are carried by the sub-striate;
(c) a polymer antenna possessing sensitizers for capturing light, and capable of conveying electrons there through, disposed over the P-N junction; and, (d) conductive means electrically communicating with the polymer whereby to provide a current path thereto whereupon the photovoltaic cell, when exposed to light, current flows out of the P-N junction into the substrate to return through an exterior circuit to the conducting means and into the polymer.
The invention further contemplates a light absorbing and transmissive polymer, electrically conducting, comprising a polymer of aromatic rings, carrying light sensitizers selected from organic dyes.
~;29;;~Z~ `
The invention will now be described by way of example and reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic cross-section of a biological photo cell employing chlorophyll Figure 2 is a cross-section of an ultra thin solar cell according to the invention Referring now to figure 1, a conceptual diagrammatic cross-section of a chloroplast of a plant leaf 10 includes an antenna system 15 of layers of chlorophyll entities (Cal) 16, 17 and 18 disposed upon a thylakoid membrane 19 which has a plurality of reaction centers 20 for generating free electrons en. (In the real system the chlorophyll entities 16, 17 and 18 are located in chlorophyll-protein complexes in the phyla-kid membrane - the diagram in figure 1 is meant to show the functionality and not the geometric arrangement of to combo-newts.) The layers of chlorophyll 16, 17 and 18 act as anion-nay to the sunlight rays thereby conveying or channeling photon excitation energy through the system 15 to the reaction centers 20 where electrons are released as en as the firs-t step of the plant converting carbon dioxide and water, utile-zing sunlight, into hydrocarbon according to the generally accepted equation light C2 + H20 1/6 C6H126 Jo 2 Referring now to figure 2 and to the invention, compound photo cells are a biomimicry of that of figure 1 and consist of a compound photovoltaic cell 30 comprising a plurality of oriented donor, and acceptor, regions covalently linked together in the same molecule and located as a P-N junction region 40 of the cell 30. The actual covalently linked donor-acceptor molecule can be any of those disclosed in the alone-said U.S.A. patent by Boston et alp and hence includes a porphyrin covalently linked to a quinine wherein the covalent linkage is preferably between 10 @ -to I @ where the molecule may be of the following formula ~2~32Z~
, . , SHEA C~~(CH2)n--O--C--CH2--O
[~133 Where n is an integer valued at 1 through 10 preferably in the range of 2, 3 or I
Alternatively, the covalent linkage structure can be an aside of the following structure, I Ox Where n = 2, 3 or 4, or with the following structure, I
I Jo C C Ho--H
On top the P-N junction region 40 is a transparent to light polymer 50 containing occluded molecular sensitizers S. On the upper surface of the polymer 50 is a conductive grid 55 which comes into contact with the polymer 50 and extends into I Jo an electrode 56 for connection to the load AL. When photons 12 strike the upper surface of the mass 50 since they can pass through openings in the grid 55, they strike the son-sitized molecules S creating excited molecules S* migrates through the polymer to be absorbed by one of the plurality of donor interlined acceptor molecules in the P-N junction region 40, the D and A regions become Do, and A- as the elect iron en moves from the donor region D to the acceptor region A
in a manner as aforesaid described in the aforesaid Boston patent. Free electrons from acceptor region of the molecule flow into the conductive substrate 41, connecting electrode 42 and conductor 43 and hence into the load AL and is returned into the grid 55. Arrows 12' in the polymer 50 ill-striate the migration of excitation energy through the polymer jumping from sensitizer to sensitizer cascadingly down to the donor D in the P-N junction region 40. For optimum antenna performance the sensitizers must absorb sunlight of shorter wavelengths than that of the donor D. Hence, suitable organic dyes that act as good sensitizers should be naphthalene, ant-Rosen and phenanthrene.
FOOTNOTES
[1] James R. Boston et at. PHOTOVOLTAIC CELL HAVING P-N
JUNCTION OF ORGANIC MATERIALS, U.S.A. Patent No.
4,360,703 issued 23 November, 1982.
Claims (5)
1. A photovoltaic cell comprisin ;
(a) a conductive substrate;
(b) a layer of organic P-N junction molecules each molecule containing a donor and an acceptor region interlinked a predetermined distance the molecules oriented so acceptor regions are carried by the subs-trate, (c) a polymer antenna possessing sensitizers for capturing light, and capable of conveying electrons therethrough, disposed over the P-N junction; and, (d) conductive means electrically communicating with the polymer whereby to provide a current path thereto whereupon the photovoltaic cell, when exposed to light, current flows out of the P-N junction into the substrate to return through an exterior circuit to the conducting means and into the polymer.
(a) a conductive substrate;
(b) a layer of organic P-N junction molecules each molecule containing a donor and an acceptor region interlinked a predetermined distance the molecules oriented so acceptor regions are carried by the subs-trate, (c) a polymer antenna possessing sensitizers for capturing light, and capable of conveying electrons therethrough, disposed over the P-N junction; and, (d) conductive means electrically communicating with the polymer whereby to provide a current path thereto whereupon the photovoltaic cell, when exposed to light, current flows out of the P-N junction into the substrate to return through an exterior circuit to the conducting means and into the polymer.
2. The photovoltaic cell as claimed in claim 1, wherein the P-N junction comprises molecules of a porphyrin and quinone interlinked a distance of between 10 .ANG. and 40 .ANG..
3. The photovoltaic cell as claimed in claim 1, wherein the polymer sensitizers are organic dyes.
4. The photovoltaic cell as claimed in claim 3. wherein the organic dyes are selected from the group of naphthalene, anth-racene and phenanthrene.
5. The photovoltaic cell as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the sensitizers absorb sunlight of shortened wave-lengths than that of the donor.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000453750A CA1229221A (en) | 1984-05-02 | 1984-05-02 | Organic p-n junction with antenna |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000453750A CA1229221A (en) | 1984-05-02 | 1984-05-02 | Organic p-n junction with antenna |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1229221A true CA1229221A (en) | 1987-11-17 |
Family
ID=4127818
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000453750A Expired CA1229221A (en) | 1984-05-02 | 1984-05-02 | Organic p-n junction with antenna |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1229221A (en) |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP1303884A1 (en) * | 2000-07-21 | 2003-04-23 | North Carolina State University | Solar cells incorporating light harvesting arrays |
| CN102408744A (en) * | 2011-08-10 | 2012-04-11 | 中北大学 | Photosensitive fuel for dye-sensitized solar cell and preparation method thereof |
| ITTO20120826A1 (en) * | 2012-09-24 | 2014-03-25 | Fond Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia | AUTO-ASSEMBLY MOLECULAR PHOTO-DETECTOR DEVICE. |
-
1984
- 1984-05-02 CA CA000453750A patent/CA1229221A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP1303884A1 (en) * | 2000-07-21 | 2003-04-23 | North Carolina State University | Solar cells incorporating light harvesting arrays |
| EP1303884A4 (en) * | 2000-07-21 | 2009-09-16 | Univ North Carolina State | Solar cells incorporating light harvesting arrays |
| CN102408744A (en) * | 2011-08-10 | 2012-04-11 | 中北大学 | Photosensitive fuel for dye-sensitized solar cell and preparation method thereof |
| ITTO20120826A1 (en) * | 2012-09-24 | 2014-03-25 | Fond Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia | AUTO-ASSEMBLY MOLECULAR PHOTO-DETECTOR DEVICE. |
| WO2014045256A1 (en) * | 2012-09-24 | 2014-03-27 | Fondazione Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia | Self-assembling molecular photo-detector device |
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