Novel Organic Photovoltaic Fibers for Multi-functional Fabrics

Presenter: 

Siddhant Iyer

Authors: 

Siddhant Iyer, 1, Ramaswamy Nagarajan, 2

Author Affiliation: 

1. University of Massachusetts Lowell, Department of Plastics Engineering 2. University of Massachusetts Lowell, Department of Plastics Engineering, Co-Director of HEORES

Abstract: 

Organic photovoltiacs have received significant attention over the years owing to their flexibility, low density, cost effective fabrication techniques and substantial improvement in the power conversion efficiency. We present a wire coating system for producing multiple lengths of OPV coated wires, followed by encapsulation into a transparent cladding for barrier and anti-reflective properties. The active, semi-conductor layer of the device comprises of a commercial conducting polymer and a mixture of fullerene derivatives, for the purpose of charge extraction and separation and serves as the working electrode. A second wire coated with a silver particles serving as the counter electrode, is muffled around the working electrode followed by encapsulation into the polymer cladding which maintains contact. The fabricated OPV system produced high power conversion efficiencies when integrated along with a cotton swatch.