• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

AdvanceTec

Hot Tech News and Reviews

  • Home
  • Tech Today
  • Big Tech
  • Facts
  • Science Now
  • Technology Tips
  • Tech Reviews
  • Health
  • Contact Us

Scientists Develop Method To Detect Charge Traps In Organic Semiconductors

November 7, 2020 By AdvanceTec Writer

Measuring photo-response of organic solar cells
CAPTION
Lead author, Nasim Zarrabi measuring the photo-response of organic solar cells at Optoelectronics Laboratory of Swansea University.
CREDIT
Swansea University

Scientists at Swansea University have developed a very sensitive method to detect the tiny signatures of so called ‘charge traps’ in organic semiconductors.

The research, published in Nature Communications and supported by the Welsh Government through the European Regional Development Fund, may change views about what limits the performance of organic solar cells, photodetectors and OLEDs.

Organic semiconductors are materials mainly made of carbon and hydrogen which can be flexible, low weight and colourful.

They are the key components in OLED displays, solar cells and photodetectors that can distinguish different colours and even mimic the rods and cones of the human eye.

The efficiency of organic solar cells to convert sunlight to electricity has recently reached 18 % and the race is on to really understand the fundamentals of how they work.

Lead author Nasim Zarrabi, a PhD student at Swansea University said: “For a long time, we guessed that some charges that are generated by the sunlight can be trapped in the semiconductor layer of the solar cell, but we’ve never really been able to prove it.

“These traps make solar cells less efficient, photodetectors less sensitive and an OLED TV less bright, so we really need a way to study them and then understand how to avoid them – this is what motivates our work and why these recent findings are so important.”

Research lead, Dr Ardalan Armin, a Sêr Cymru II Rising Start Fellow commented: “Ordinarily, traps are ‘dead ends’ so to speak; in our study we see them also generating new charges rather than annihilating them completely.

“We’d predicted this could maybe happen, but until now did not have the experimental accuracy to detect these charges generated via traps.”

Dr Oskar Sandberg, the theorist behind the work said that he has been waiting for such experimental accuracy for several years.

“What we observed experimentally has been known in silicon and gallium arsenide as intermediate band solar cells, in organic solar cells it has never been shown that traps can generate charges,” he said.

“The additional charges generated by the traps is not beneficial for generating lots of electricity because it is very tiny.

“But it is sufficient to be able to study these effects and maybe find ways to control them in order to make genuine improvements in device performance.”

Filed Under: Big Tech, FEATURED, Science Now, Tech Today Tagged With: charge traps, organic semiconductors, Swansea University

More AdvanceTec Posts

3 Tips To Overcome Lethargy

3 Tips To Overcome Lethargy

In daily life, there are times when you feel that you lose your motivation to do everything and that you feel tired all the time. Even after getting … Read Full Article about 3 Tips To Overcome Lethargy

Elon Musk Finally Has Posted On Twitter In Ten Days

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Twitter that he had met with Pope Francis. According to AFP news agency on the 2nd (local time), Musk posted a picture … Read Full Article about Elon Musk Finally Has Posted On Twitter In Ten Days

3 benefits of arrowroot tea benefits and its side effects

Arrowroot belongs to the Rosaceae legume family and grows well in moderate moisture and deep underground. It is known to have various beneficial … Read Full Article about 3 benefits of arrowroot tea benefits and its side effects

3 Benefits Of Jumping Rope Exercise

3 Benefits Of Jumping Rope Exercise

Aerobic exercise, which is divided into various types such as walking, running, and cycling, has the effect of improving flexibility, muscle strength, … Read Full Article about 3 Benefits Of Jumping Rope Exercise

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

Netflix plunged 71%, Facebook 52%… New York stock market, worst ‘first half’ in 52 years

On the 30th (local time) on the New York Stock Exchange, Tesla stock fell 1.76% to $673. Large tech stocks also fell … Continue Reading about Netflix plunged 71%, Facebook 52%… New York stock market, worst ‘first half’ in 52 years

  • (Video) 10 Crazy NEW Technologies That Will Flip the WORLD
  • Bill Gates says there’s 50% chance of another pandemic in 20 years
  • Elon Musk reaches 100 million Twitter followers chasing after soccer star Ronaldo

AdvanceTec Social

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS

Copyright © 2022 · Advancetec · About Us · Log in