Injection Moulding Asia

Lower costs for electronics and solar cells with new polymer

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IMRE says the thiophene/benzothiadiazole copolymer produces a high charge mobility of 0.2 cm2/V.s, which is the same value achieved by commercially available semiconducting materials but also has a high solar power conversion efficiency of 6.3%.

The research institute says its polymer functions not only as a good material to make electronic components but it can also be used to convert sunlight to electricity efficiently. The polymer can also be easily applied in roll-to-roll printing techniques, which is similar to how newspapers are currently printed making it possible to manufacture large area-scale printed electronics and organic solar cells quickly and cheaply.

The material can also be used in designing new devices where both power harnessing and electronics are needed in a single component. An example of this would be chemical sensors based on organic thin-film transistors and powered by organic solar cells.

Printed electronics often rely on organic materials like polymers that can be easily processed and manufactured as opposed to traditional electronics (or metal electronics) that rely on inorganics such as copper or silicone. The polymers can be made into thinner, lighter and cost-effective electronic components and organic solar cells.

IMRE says it is also developing other organic materials-based polymers that can be scaled up to production and integrated easily into organic electronics. These materials can be used to make energy harvesting and low-power consumption devices like low-cost organic solar cells, new flexible display devices, next generation smart labels and RFID tags.