Mechanisms of Operation and Degradation in Solution-Processable Organic Photovoltaics

Organic photovoltaic devices are being intensely researched as a low-cost solar power conversion technology. In general, reliability and degradation mechanisms for these devices have not been examined by researchers in detail, however recent efficiency gains justify more concerted efforts toward achieving commercially viable device lifetimes. The molecular nature of these materials and the atmospheric processing techniques used for their fabrication provide for potentially low cost production. These aspects also bring with them unique challenges in achieving stable device performance. In this paper, I provide a brief description of the operational mechanisms of these devices, and I outline what is known about the mechanisms of degradation and the device lifetimes