Mikkel Jørgensen talks
with ScienceWatch.com and answers a few questions
about this month's New Hot Paper in the field of Materials
Science.
Article Title: Stability/degradation of polymer
solar cells
Authors: Jorgensen,
M;Norrman, K;Krebs, FC
Journal: SOLAR ENERG MATER SOLAR CELLS
Volume: 92
Issue: 7
Page: 686-714
Year: JUL 2008
* Tech Univ Denmark, Natl Lab Sustainable Energy,
Frederiksborgvej 399, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
* Tech Univ Denmark, Natl Lab Sustainable Energy, DK-4000
Roskilde, Denmark.
Why do you think your paper is highly
cited?
Our paper is a review and therefore naturally tends to be cited more than
original research papers would. However, it may have had an advantage in
being the first review on this special topic.
Would you summarize the significance of your paper
in layman's terms?
Polymer solar cells are a new and promising technology which may, in time,
compete with the known silicon-based solar cells. This is mainly because
polymer solar cells are expected to become very cheap.
One of the main problems has been their short lifetime and it is therefore
important to study the stability/degradation of these devices. Advances in
this field have actually progressed very quickly, increasing the lifetime
from minutes to more than a year under the strenuous conditions of full sun
and high temperature. These advances have, at least in part, come from a
scientific understanding of the degradation mechanisms.
How did you become involved in this research, and
were there any problems along the way?
Polymer solar cells have been the focus of research in our group for the
past 10 years and we have witnessed a dramatic increase in activity for
this field.
Where do you see your research leading in the
future?
Polymer solar cells are on the verge of becoming a commercial product and
this will, of course, change the direction of the research to more
production-oriented issues.
Do you foresee any social or political implications
for your research?
Research in sustainable energy has great political and environmental
implications right now. Polymer solar cells could perhaps offer solutions
in certain areas if the promise of a cheap, fast, and simple product is
borne out.
Mikkel Jørgensen, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
Polymers for Energy Technology
Risø National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy
Technical University of Denmark – DTU
Roskilde, Denmark Web
KEYWORDS: DEGRADATION; STABILITY; POLYMER PHOTOVOLTAIC; ORGANIC
SOLAR CELLS; MECHANISMS.