Photosynthetic photovoltaic cells

Although organic solar cells are a promising source of inexpensive photovoltaic (PV) power, their low efficiency must be improved. We address this problem in a radical departure from the conventional model of organic solar cells. Our architecture is based on photosynthesis that other example of organic solar cell technology, albeit optimized for two billion years. As in biology, we separate the optical and electrical functions of the solar cell by building an 'antenna' on top of a conventional solar cell; see Fig. 1. Biomimetic organic solar cells operate as follows: The antenna absorbs the light, and acts to supplement the conventional solar cell the 'reaction center'. Most importantly, the antenna allows the reaction center to be much thinner, since it no longer must absorb all the light. Thus, its quantum efficiency can approach 100%, potentially doubling the performance of organic solar cells. Conventional blend + Photosynthetic Biomimetic organic organic solar cell structure solar cell light light Reaction ntenna center