ICFO's development of a four-terminal tandem organic solar cell with a 16.94% efficiency marks a significant advancement in solar energy technology, promising new applications in sustainable energy conversion and solar fuels. Researchers at ICFO have fabricated a new four-terminal organic solar cell with a tandem configuration with a 16.94% power conversion efficiency (PCE).
The new device is composed by a highly transparent front cell that incorporates a transparent ultrathin silver (Ag) electrode of only 7nm, which ensures its efficient operation. Two-terminal tandem organic solar cells (OSCs) stand out as a leading solution for overcoming the issues of transmission and thermalization losses seen in single-junction solar cells. These organic solar cells consist of front and rear subcells with varying bandgaps, enabling broader absorption and use of the solar spectrum. However, achieving optimal performance in such configurations demands a sufficient current balance between the two subcells. Moreover, fabricating tandem organic solar cells of these types is challenging because they need a robust interconnection layer capable of facilitating efficient charge recombination while maintaining high transparency. The four-terminal tandem configuration has emerged as a highly efficient alternative strategy in solar cell design