Optical management in organic photovoltaic devices

Abstract

Abstract Due to their potentials in light‐weight, flexible, and semitransparent devices, organic photovoltaics are of great significance in the field of renewable energy. However, the narrow intrinsic absorption spectrum of organic materials hinders the full utilization of solar energy. To fabricate a highly efficient opaque solar cell, it is greatly necessary to modify the optical properties of the device to improve light absorption. In addition, the growing interest in building‐integrated photovoltaics drives the development of semitransparent devices. The preparation of semitransparent solar cells with excellent performance imposes high requirements on the high efficiency and appropriate visible light transmittance of effective optical management. In this review, the recent research progress of optical management in organic photovoltaics is reviewed, including the design of light‐absorbing materials, the modification of different layers, adding a light‐trapping structure, and changing the light absorption capabilities of specific materials, so as to provide strategies of how to improve the performance of organic photovoltaic devices and present the prospect of the area.

Keywords

• light absorption
• light transmittance
• light trapping
• organic photovoltaic devices