Speaker
Description
Organic solar cells (OSCs) have emerged as promising candidates for next-generation photovoltaics due to their rapid efficiency improvements, low toxicity, short energy payback times, and compatibility with low-cost, solution-based fabrication methods such as slot-die printing. Their strong optical absorption, low weight, and mechanical flexibility make them particularly attractive for space applications, where their potentially superior power-to-weight ratio compared with conventionally used III–V multijunction solar cells could significantly reduce manufacturing and launch costs. Although OSCs have already demonstrated short-term functionality in space, ensuring long-term stability under harsh environmental conditions remains a major challenge.
In this work, we investigate the influence of extreme temperatures on slot-die printed OSCs under vacuum conditions. We compare the effects of constant-temperature exposure and temperature cycling over a temperature range from 0 to 120 °C. All experiments are conducted under vacuum to more closely simulate relevant space conditions while simultaneously monitoring device performance and active-layer morphology. To probe the structural evolution of the active layer, we employ operando grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS), a nondestructive synchrotron-based technique that enables real-time characterization of thin-film morphology with high temporal resolution and over a large probing area. By directly correlating temperature-induced morphological changes with the corresponding electrical performance, this study provides insight into the degradation mechanisms of printed OSCs under thermal stress and contributes to future space photovoltaic applications.