We use the combination of high-resolution electron microscopy and density-functional theory to study the atomic structure and electronic effects of grain boundaries in polycrystalline photovoltaic materials such as Si, CdTe, CuInSe2, and CuGaSe2. We find that grain boundaries containing dislocation cores create deep levels in Si, CdTe, and CuGaSe2. Surprisingly, however, they do not create deep...

Since the {irst demonstration of organic photo voltaic devices much progress has been made. Organic solar cells reach now power conversion efficiencies of up to 3% over the solar spectrum. The morphology of the active film is very important for efficient devices. Films spin-coated from blend solutions phase separate. The scale of the phase separation depends on the solvent, solubility of the ma...

We experimentally investigate the optical properties of layers of InP, Si, and GaP nanowires, relevant for applications in solar cells. The nanowires are strongly photonic, resulting in a significant coupling mismatch with incident light due to multiple scattering. We identify a design principle for the effective suppression of reflective losses, based on the ratio of the nondiffusive absorptio...

The recent tragic event of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico reminds us of the challenges of developing sources of energy that are not only abundant and economical but, more importantly, are also as harmless as possible to the environment. Among renewable energy sources, solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies show great potential, as they convert directly sun light into electricity with...

It has been proved that fullerene derivatives, in which an oligophenylenevinylene (OPV) group is attached to C(60), present an interesting photophysical phenomenon and can be incorporated into photovoltaic cells. In these systems, the OPV acts as electron donor upon excitation, and then fullerene absorbs photoexcited electrons. These new organic semiconductor materials offer the prospect of low...

The development in solar PV technology is growing very fast in recent years due to technological improvement, cost reductions in materials and government support for renewable energy based electricity production. Photovoltaic is playing an important role to utilize solar energy for electricity production worldwide. At present, the PV market is growing rapidly with worldwide around 23.5 GW in 20...

To advance with creation of novel nano-electronic devices there is a need to understand electrons behavior in a wide range of materials with dimensions reduced down to nanometer scale. It is an important task for industries dealing with magnetic memories [1], light-emitting, photovoltaic or multiferroic devices [2]. A key role for development of such devices is the nanoscale characterization of...

This review deals with recent progress on the development of nanocomposite materials formed by conducting organic polymers (COPs) and carbon nanotubes (CNs), both from a fundamental and applied point of view. The combination of the unique properties of CNs with COPs makes of these materials interesting multifunctional systems with great potential in many applications such as supercapacitors, se...