Polymer solar cells: Recent development and possible routes for improvement in the performance

The development of polymer solar cells is rapidly accelerating as the need of new clean energy sources. Polymer solar cells are attractive because they can be manufactured on plastic substrates by a variety of printing techniques, In this article, we provided an overview on basic operational principles and recent development of polymer solar cells. The possible routes for improvement in power conversion efficiency, stability, and the effects toward manufacturing of polymer solar cells were summarized and highlighted. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.