Progress and outlooks of large-area flexible organic photovoltaic modules

Abstract

Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) hold unique advantages of light-weight and excellent mechanical flexibility comparing with other PV technologies. Recently, efficiency of OPV has been rapidly progressed to about 20% for small-area rigid devices. Fabricating flexible devices in large area is necessary for OPV technology to move into practical applications with high voltage and power output.High efficiency and high operational stability are required for the upscaled large-area flexible OPV modules. Efficiency and stability are related to device structure, materials (including transparent electrodes, active layers and charge transporting materials), film coating and encapsulation. In this review, we will discuss the progress and basics of large-area high-performance flexible OPV modules, including device structure, efficiency, materials, coating techniques and stability. At the end, we will discuss challenges and outlooks for enhancing the efficiency and stability of the large-area flexible OPV modules.