Power and Energy Engineering

Biography

Biography: Tayebeh Ameri

Abstract

During the last 10 years, organic photovoltaics (OPVs) have evolved from an early research effort to a major main stream research field and a tremendous progress has been made in the synthesis and production of organic solar cells. Compared to inorganic solar cells, organic photovoltaics offer many advantages, such as low cost, high throughput production, flexible devices, and lightweight products, as well as custom-designed colors. On the down side, OPVs still have significantly lower efficiency values and lifetime expectations as compared to their inorganic counterparts. To boost the efficiency, different strategies have to be developed in parallel. Recently, we have centered our research on an elegant alternative approach to overcome the photocurrent and the performance limitation of polymer: Fullerene solar cells in a simple single-junction structure by implementing a sensitizer with complementary absorption profile into the host matrix. To boost near infrared light harvesting, we investigate different semiconductor systems such as low bandgap polymers, small molecules, dye compounds as well as hybrid and inorganic nanoparticles/nanostructures. We carry out in-depth investigations on how the structural properties of the host system as well as the sensitizer will be influencing the microstructure formation and the functionality of ternary systems. To illuminate on the modified recombination mechanisms in ternary systems, we also investigate the charge or energy transfer and charge transport between the constituent components. Finally based on our understanding of these key issues, we engineer multi-composites such as to guarantee spectrally broad absorption, to maximize open circuit voltages and to reduce parasitic loss mechanisms like non-radiative recombination. In this presentation, we discuss our highlight achievements on the aforementioned topics with a central focus on the fundamentals of microstructure and charge transport.

Recent Publications

1. X. Du, X. Jiao, S. Fladischer, J. Darío Perea, N. Kazerouni, E. Spiecker, M. Meyer, H. Ade, C. J. Brabec, R. H. Fink, T. Ameri, “Crystallization of sensitizer controls morphology and performance in C-/Si-PCPDTBT-sensitized P3HT:ICBA blends”, Macromolecules, 50, 2415, 2017.

2.  N. Gasparini, L. Lucera, M. Salvador, M. Prosa, P. Kubis, G. D. Spyropoulos, H-J. Egelhaaf, C. J. Brabec and T. Ameri, “High-performance ternary organic solar cells with thick active layer exceeding 11% efficiency”, Energy Environ. Sci., 10, 885, 2017.

3. R. Soltani, A. A. Katbab, K. Schaumberger, N. Gasparini, C. J. Brabec, S. Fladischer, E. Spiecker, A. G. Alabau, A. Ruland, A. Saha, D. M. Guldi, V. Sgobba, T. Ameri, “Light harvesting enhancement upon incorporating alloy structured CdSeXTe1-X quantum dots in DPP:PC61BM bulk heterojunction solar cell”, J. Mater. Chem. C, 5, 654, 2017.

4.  L. Ke, N. Gasparini, J. Min, H. Zhang, M. Adam, S. Fladischer, K. Forberich, C. Zhang, E. Spiecker, R. R. Tykwinski, C. J. Brabec, T. Ameri, “Panchromatic quaternary polymer/fullerene BHJ solar cells, based on the novel silicon naphthalocyanine and silicon phthalocyanine dye sensitizers”, J. Mater. Chem. A, 5, 2550, 2017.

5. N. Gasparini, X. Jiao, T. Heumueller, D. Baran, G. J. Matt, S. Fladischer, E. Spiecker, H. Ade, C. J. Brabec, and T. Ameri,“ Designing ternary blend bulk heterojunction solar cells with reduced carrier recombination and fill factor of 77%”, Nature Energy, 1, 16118, 2016.

6.  L. Ke, J. Min, M. Adam, N. Gasparini, Y. Hou, J. Darío Pereaa, W. Chen, H. Zhang, S. Fladischer, A.-C. Sale, E. Spieckerd, R. R. Tykwinski, C. J. Brabec, T. Ameri, “A series of novel pyrene-substituted silicon phthalocyanines as near-IR sensitizers in organic ternary solar cells: Synthesis and Device fabrication”, Adv. Energy Mater., 6, 1502355, 2016.

7.  N. Gasparini, M. Salvador, S. Fladischer, A. Katsouras, A. Avgeropoulos, E. Spiecker, C. L. Chochos, C. J. Brabec, and T. Ameri, “An Alternative Strategy to Adjust the Recombination Mechanism of Organic Photovoltaics by Implementing Ternary Compounds”, Adv. Energy Mater., 5, 1501527, 2015.

8.  T. Ameri, P. Khoram, T. Heumüller, D. Baran, F. Machui, A. Troeger, V. Sgobba, D. M Guldi, M. Halik, S. Rathgeber, U. Scherf, C. J. Brabec, “Morphology analysis of near IR sensitized polymer/fullerene organic solar cells by implementing low bandgap heteroanalogue C-/Si-PCPDTBT”, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2, 19461, 2014. 

9. T. Ameri, T. Heumuller, J. Min, N. Li, G. Matt, U. Scherf and C. J. Brabec, “IR sensitization of an indene-C60 bisadduct (ICBA) in ternary organic solar cells”, Energy Environ. Sci., 6, 1796, 2013. 

10.T. Ameri, P. Khoram, J. Min, and C. J. Brabec, “Organic ternary solar cells: A review”, Adv. Mater., 25, 4245, 2013.