Organic solar cells , in which one of the layers is made of material created by KTU chemists, reached 18.4 percent. efficiency. This near-record achievement shows that the invention of KTU's team of scientists - materials that spontaneously form a single-molecule-thick layer - is applicable to a variety of technologies.

Organic solar cells are made from organic materials that are mostly made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, or sulfur atoms. The raw materials used in their production are cheap and easy to recycle. However, although organic photovoltaic cells are lighter, more flexible, and easier to manufacture, they are less efficient than other photovoltaic technologies, including silicon, perovskite, and tandem solar cells. Research teams around the world are working to increase the productivity of organic solar cells.

2018 At the end of the 19th century, a group of chemists from Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) synthesized a material that spontaneously forms a layer of molecular thickness, also called a monolayer, which evenly covers various surfaces.

“By introducing changes in the structure of the material, we can adapt it to different solar technologies, thus achieving greater efficiency. However, the revolutionary layer manufacturing technology we offer remains the same: a single-molecule-thick layer is formed simply by immersing the surface in a solution. It is an inexpensive, efficient and easily adaptable technology.

Reference Link: https://ktu.edu/news/pritaikius-ktu-sukurtas-medziagas-pasiektas-ypac-aukstas-organiniu-saules-elementu-efektyvumas/