Enhanced efficiency of flexible organic polymer solar cells by incorporation of titanium dioxide nanoparticles

Abstract

Solar power has quickly become one of the most effective forms of renewable energy today as it provides a clean solution to the growing demand for energy. Most solar panels in the market are rigid as they are made up of metals; therefore, organic polymers provide a flexible alternative. Nanotechnology provides the synthesis of nanoparticles by simple approaches suitable for applications in various fields. Nanoparticles of titanium dioxide (TiO2) were synthesized and characterized in this paper (NPs), which were further incorporated in the construction of a novel, organic polymer solar panel (OPSC) that is flexible and portable; it is made from thylakoid (chloroplast) extract of chard (B. vulgaris subsp. cicla) combined with polystyrene polymer matrix. Insertion of TiO2 NPs in the OPSC improved the current generation compared to the reference devices (OPSC) without TiO2 NPs. Therefore possible uses for the constructed solar panel were suggested. The prepared films were tested for the current generation. Under illumination, the solar panels generated a current of −140 µAp, and −213 µAp without and within TiO2 NPs, respectively. This study opens windows for manufacturing flexible, efficient, and stable organic polymer solar panels.

Keywords

• Characterization
• Polymer solar panel
• Chloroplasts
• Titanium dioxide
• Nanoparticles