In this work, we spatially resolve by Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) the surface photovoltage in high-efficiency nanoscale phase segregated photovoltaic blends of poly(3-hexylthiophene) and [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester. The spatial resolution achieved represents a 10-fold improvement over previous KPFM reports on organic solar cells. By combining the damping contrast to the topographic data in noncontact atomic force microscopy under UHV, surface morphologies of the interpenetrated networks are clearly revealed. We show how the lateral resolution in KPFM can be significantly enhanced by optimizing the damping signal, allowing a direct visualization of the carrier generation at the donor-acceptor interfaces and their transport through the percolation pathways in the nanometer range. Henceforth, high-resolution KPFM has the potential to become a routine characterization tool for organic and hybrid photovoltaics.

Organic solar cells offer an opportunity to diversify renewable energy sources owing to their low technological cost. They are amenable to large surfaces and can easily be integrated into buildings. It is necessary, however, to improve their energy efficiency and durability for the development of a sustainable technology. In these devices, photovoltaic conversion is based on the separation of photogenerated charges at an interface between electron donor and acceptor materials, which imposes some constraints on the photoactive layer of the cells. In this paper, which includes some of our studies, we address optimization of the active layer: absorption and exciton dissociation steps, the open-circuit voltage and the active layer morphology. A promising direction proposed to improve the active layer morphology and cell efficiency is the incorporation of highly anisotropic nanoparticles such as carbon nanotubes, which may facilitate charge transport to the electrodes. Dispersion and orientation of the nanotubes in the organic matrix are discussed and we suggest an ideal model polymer solar cell which will maximize performance of the cells by using carbon nanotubes in the active layer.

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Considering the recent advances in the fundamental understanding of perovskite devices as well as in the demonstration of larger stability under working conditions, specific attention has still to be paid for their processing for low-cost applications. Here, the successful demonstration of 10.7% efficient chlorine-doped methylammonium lead iodide (CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3-x Cl x ) solar cells based on a fully inkjet-printed processed under ambient conditions and at low temperature (<90 C) is reported. A huge hysteresis is observed and the efficiency drops down to 6.4% for the forward scan. The Owens-Wendt-Rabel and Kaelble model is applied to investigate the impact of chloride, bromide, or diiodooctane on the perovskite ink wetting properties. A low surface energy of the substrate provokes dewetting during the perovskite printing. The use of chlorine or bromide tends to increase the wettability of the perovskite ink, improving the impregnation of the ink in porous materials. This work shows the critical importance of properly storing these substrates prior to active layer deposition, in order to produce homogenous layers by inkjet-printing. The successful printing of all inner layers, excluding bottom and top electrodes, in ambient atmosphere is an additional step toward their expected development at a larger scale by the printed electronic industry.

Despite the constant improvement of their power conversion efficiencies, organic solar cells based on an interpenetrating network of a conjugated polymer as donor and fullerene derivatives as acceptor materials still need to be improved for commercial use. In this context, we present a study on the optimization of solar cells based on poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) by varying a specific cell parameter, namely the concentration of the active layer components in the liquid phase before blend film deposition, in order to improve device performance and to better understand the relation between morphology and device operation. Our study shows a significant increase of the short-circuit current, open-circuit voltage and cell efficiency by properly choosing the formulation of the initial blend before film deposition. We demonstrate that the active layer morphology, which is strongly dependent on the initial material concentrations and the processing conditions, can greatly impact the electronic characteristics of the device, especially regarding charge recombination dynamics at the donor-acceptor interface. Our optimized P3HT:PCBM device exhibits both slow recombination and high photocurrent generation associated with an overall power conversion efficiency of 4.25% under 100 mW cm(-2) illumination (AM1.5G).

Hybrid organometal halide perovskites have attracted much attention these past four years as the new active layer for photovoltaic applications. Researches are now intensively focused on the stability issues of these solar cells, the process of fabrication and the design of innovative materials to produce efficient perovskite devices. In this review, we highlight the recent progress demonstrated in 2015 in the design of new π-conjugated organic materials used as hole transporters in such solar cells. Indeed, several of these "synthetic metals" have been proposed to play this role during the last few years, in an attempt to replace the conventional 2,2 1 ,7,7 1 -tetrakis-(N,N-di-4-methoxyphenylamino)-9,9 1 -spirobifluorene (Spiro-OMeTAD) reference. Organic compounds have the benefits of low production costs and the abundance of raw materials, but they are also crucial components in order to address some of the stability issues usually encountered by this type of technology. We especially point out the main design rules to reach high efficiencies.

(PEDOT)xV2O5 nanocomposites optimized for thermoelectric generation, adapted for the first time to printing technology and used for patterning a device.

We report on the development of solution-processed ZnO-based dye-sensitized solar cells. We fabricate mesoporous ZnO electrodes from sol-gel processed nanoparticles, which are subsequently sensitized with conventional ruthenium complexes and infiltrated with the solid-state hole transporter medium 2, 2', 7, 7'-tetrakis-(N, N-di-p-methoxyphenylamine)-9, 9'-spirobifluorene (spiro-OMeTAD). Starting from ZnO nanorods synthesized from solution, we investigate the porous ZnO film morphology using various precursor formulations. The nature of the polymeric additive used in the initial ZnO formulation, as well as the ZnO electrode sintering treatment, is varied and its influence on device performance and charge dynamics, probed by transient perturbation techniques, is discussed. We show that using ethyl-cellulose in the initial ZnO formulation is responsible for an improved dye loading on the ZnO porous electrode, while a gradual sintering step at 350 degrees C is suitable for the proper removal of the organic phases that can be found in the ZnO films after their deposition by spin-coating. Using only 800 nm thick porous ZnO electrodes sensitized by N719, the best performing device exhibits a short-circuit current density of 2.43 mA cm(-2) under simulated solar emission of (100 mW cm(-2)), associated with an overall power conversion efficiency of 0.50%.