PHOTON International The Photovoltaic Magazine

Pennsylvania awards $1 million to Plextronics for organic PV

The Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority (PEDA) in January awarded a combined $250,000 grant and $750,000 loan to Pittsburgh-based Plextronics Inc. to advance the development of its »Plexcore PV« p-type semi-conducting polymer for organic solar cells.

	© Plextronics Inc.
Printing job: Plextronics is developing an active cell layer as an ink that can be printed on organic cells in high-speed »roll-to-roll« manufacturing lines. Pictured is »Plexcore PV« p-type semi-conducting polymer for organic solar cells under simulated solar illumination.

The company plans to use the money to add expertise in polymer design and synthesis, and purchase deposition and other equipment in order to produce Plexcore PV prototypes by the end of this year, says Plextronics VP of Technology Shawn Williams. The award follows a $300,000 grant from PEDA announced last June (see PI 7/2005, p. 29).

»These awards have really been a big boost for us,« says Williams. The company mainly has been focused on organic LED technology, but Williams roughly estimates that 40 percent of the company‘s operations now are devoted to PV.

The Plexcore PV polymer is made as a powder and dissolved in solvents, resulting in an ink. Currently, Plextronics is focused on developing this active layer of the organic cell, which would then be combined with an n-type material for fabrication into a complete solar cell. »We feel that the key to success [in organic PV] is the active layer,« says Williams. The company hopes to form a joint venture with a partner who has printing capability. Plextronics would then supply its inks for printing into flexible plastics or fabrics in high-speed »roll-to-roll« manufacturing lines.

For example, Williams notes that Konarka Technologies plans to introduce organic solar cells in consumer devices in the near term. The company partnered with Leonhard Kurz GmbH of Germany last June to bring its »power plastics« into large-scale production for portable and consumer electronics, sensors, and other uses. »We would like to see Plextronics inks in those,« says Williams.