An organic solar cell uses carbon-based organic molecules to absorb sunlight and produce electricity.
Unlike conventional silicon photovoltaic cells, organic solar cells use organic semiconductors, including specially designed polymers or small carbon-based molecules. Light creates excited charge carriers in the organic material, and the device’s layered structure separates and transports those charges to its electrodes.
Organic photovoltaics can be lightweight, flexible, and manufactured using solution-based printing techniques. These characteristics make them attractive for applications such as flexible surfaces, portable electronics, and low-power devices. Their efficiency and long-term durability have historically been lower than those of established silicon cells, although research continues to improve both.
Organic solar cells are not the same as dye-sensitized or perovskite solar cells. Dye-sensitized devices use a light-absorbing dye, while perovskite cells use a perovskite-structured semiconductor. The word “organic” refers to the carbon-based semiconductor materials used in the photovoltaic layer.