Porous organic polymers in solar cells

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Photovoltaics
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Porous organic polymers (POPs) possess unique porosity and large surface areas, making them suitable for advanced applications.
• The tunable pore and backbone structures of POPs are beneficial for photovoltaic devices, influencing charge separation and transfer.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in applying POPs for enhanced solar cell performance.
• To analyze the evolving role of POPs from active layers to other functional components in organic, perovskite, and dye-sensitized solar cells.

Main Methods:

• Literature review focusing on recent progress in POP applications for solar cells.
• Analysis of device physics, material synthesis, and microfabrication insights related to POPs.
• In-depth examination of POPs' photophysical processes and their impact on device performance.

Main Results:

• POPs' porosity and structure facilitate charge separation and transfer in photovoltaic processes.
• POPs have demonstrated effectiveness in critical device components like hole transporting layers and electrodes.
• A trend shows a shift from using POPs solely in active layers to incorporating them into other solar cell parts.

Conclusions:

• POPs offer significant potential for improving solar cell efficiency across various types.
• Understanding POPs' fundamental limitations and challenges is crucial for future research.
• Future directions involve leveraging insights from device physics, synthesis, and fabrication for novel POP applications in photovoltaics.