Research
Photovoltaics
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The Durrant group solar cell team has a primary research interest in the development and understanding of low cost, printed photovoltaic technologies for harnessing solar energy to produce electricity. It has previously studied on dye-sensitised solar cells; more recently the team has focused on solar cells fabricated from organic polymers and small molecules (OPV) and, since 2014, perovskite solar cells. The image highlihgts the brilliant range of colours OPV can be, including some exciting non-fullerene acceptor (NFA) materials that the group is currently working on. These technologies have the potential to be efficient, light weight and flexible whilst being manufactured at low cost on a large area through solution processing.
The group undertakes fundamental scientific studies of new materials and device concepts, aiming to elucidate design principles which enable technological development. Our work addresses both material thin films and complete devices. One of the main branches of research within the Durrant group is based around using transient laser spectroscopies to undertake photochemical and photophysical studies of light driven electron and energy transfer reactions on relevant timescales. These experiments allow the study of the fundamental charge generation and recombination processes that occur within a solar cell. These spectroscopic studies are supplemented with a range of opto-electronic experimental techniques, these measure the electronic response of a complete solar cell to various illuminations. These techniques offer a broad spectrum of analytic tools that have proved vital in analysing recombination loss processes that define the power conversion efficiencies of organic solar cells. These studies are corrlated with studies of materials structure on the nanometre length scale and therefore the nano-morphology and the use of nanostructured materials is a key component of our research.
In addition to experiments aimed at improving the power conversion efficiencies of organic photovoltaic devices, the group studies the degradation processes that reduce the performance of solar cells during their operating lifetime. An understanding of this process is essential if these devices are to be manufactured, and the group utilises equipment for the aging of cells and analysis of these processes.
The group's solar cell activities are undertaken as part of Imperial's Centre for Processable Electronics, enabling extensive collaborations across different departments, including with groups working on material synthesis, processing, nanomorphology, device physics and modelling. These activities are also aligned with and complimented by the scale up activities of the SPECIFIC IKC in Swansea, particularly for perovskite solar cells.
