Background

Due to rapid performance increase along with semi-transparency and free-form design in shape and size, OPV has entered the Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) market offering new integration routes.

Several recent high impact research studies have demonstrated that metal oxide interlayers are the main bottleneck for the lifetime of new high-performance organic photovoltaics, however, the few lab-scale solutions suggested to mitigate this effect are not compatible with industrial scale up.

If one can mitigate the interface degradation at the metal oxide interlayers, over 20 years lifetime for OPV can be expected (4 years of 1 sun illumination), which is a game changer for the technology.

Technology Overview

SDU researchers have a new patented technology (TRL 4) based on metal oxide foils as contact layers in OPV, which will increase the lifetime of commercial OPV from <10 years to 20 years. The OxideEnergy foils are developed for and tested with world leading OPV industry, and will radically increase the market size of OPV.

Stage of Development

The researchers have developed the new OxideEnergy technology on small scale, and verified their successful integration in OPV, including demonstration of significant lifetime improvements. Currently, they are working on scaling up the technology using dynamic and large volume Roll-to-Roll (R2R) vacuum sputtering technology, which is also compatible with industrial standards.

Opportunity

SDU are scaling the sputtering method to advanced industrial Roll-to-Roll (R2R) manufacturing tools (TRL 6), to demonstrate low-cost and large scale.

SDU are aiming at a new spin-out company in 2022 that will bring OxideEnergy to the OPV industry.

The researchers have access to world class R2R industrial sized manufacturing facilities at SDU NanoSYD.

The researchers are part of the H2020 EU project ‘CITYSOLAR’

SDU are looking for collaboration – both in upscaling and testing as well as in spinning the technology out in a new company.

OxideEnergy: The Game Changer for OPV Market Breakthrough

Patents

IP Status

Seeking