Hybrid conjugated polymer/semiconductor photovoltaic cells

A great effort has been focused for last years on development of low-cost solar cells. One alternative is a new generation of photovoltaic cells, based on hybrid polymer-semiconductor materials. The maximum energy conversion efficiency achieved from this type of devices is still below 3%. An improvement of the photovoltaic efficiency requires a clear understanding of structure-properties relationships and numerous challenges related to synthesis of the composite materials and fabrication procedure of the device still remain to be overcome. This paper focuses on the recent developments of semiconductor-conducting polymer hybrid systems and the crucial parameters responsible for their performance. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.