HK1188029A - A partially-sprayed layer organic solar photovoltaic cell using a self-assembled monolayer and method of manufacture - Google Patents

Description

Partially sprayed layered organic solar photovoltaic cell using self-assembled monolayer and method of manufacture

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The priority of U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/438,488, entitled "partial-porous layer organic Solar cellular using a Self-Assembled membrane selected Method of Manufacture", filed on 1/2/2011, is hereby incorporated by reference.

Technical Field

The invention relates to an organic solar photovoltaic cell manufactured by spraying. Specifically, the present invention provides a novel method of manufacturing an organic solar photovoltaic cell using spray deposition and an organic solar photovoltaic cell manufactured by the method.

Background

In recent years, energy consumption has increased dramatically, partly due to rapid development of industry on a global scale. Increased energy consumption strains natural resources such as fossil fuels and also strains the global ability to process the byproducts of consuming these resources. Moreover, the demand for energy is expected to increase substantially in the future, as the population increases and developing countries need more energy. These factors require the development of new clean energy sources that are economical, efficient and have minimal impact on the global environment.

Since the beginning of the 70's of the 20 th century, photovoltaic cells have been used as an alternative to traditional energy sources. Because photovoltaic cells use existing energy from sunlight, the environmental impact caused by photovoltaic power generation is much less than traditional power generation. Most of the commercialized photovoltaic cells are inorganic solar cells using single crystal silicon, polycrystalline silicon, or amorphous silicon. Conventionally, a solar module made of silicon is installed on a roof of a building. However, these inorganic silicon-based photovoltaic cells are produced in a complicated process and at high cost, limiting the use of photovoltaic cells. These silicon wafer based cells are brittle opaque substances that limit their use in, for example, window technology where transparency is a critical issue. Furthermore, installation is also a problem, since these solar modules are heavy and fragile. In addition, the installation place such as a roof is limited compared to a window area in a normal building, especially less in a skyscraper. In order to overcome such a disadvantage, research has been actively conducted on a photovoltaic cell using an organic material.

The photovoltaic process in OPVs starts first with absorption of light mainly by the polymer, followed by formation of excitons. The exciton then migrates to the donor (polymer)/acceptor (fullerene) interface and dissociates at that location. The separated electrons and holes move to the opposite electrode by bouncing and are collected at the electrode, generating an open circuit voltage (Voc). When the electrodes are connected, a photocurrent (short-circuit current Isc) is generated.

In the discovery of polymers with carbon C₆₀After fast charge transfer between, organic photovoltaic cells based on pi-conjugated polymers have been intensively studied. Conventional organic photovoltaic devices use a transparent substrate such as indium oxide such as Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) or IZO as a positive electrode and aluminum or other metals as a negative electrode. A photoactive material comprising an electron donor material and an electron acceptor material is sandwiched between a positive electrode and a negative electrode. The donor material in the conventional device is poly-3-hexylthiophene (P3HT), which is a conjugated polymer. A conventional acceptor material is (6,6) -phenyl C₆₁Methyl butyrate (PCBM), which is a derivative of fullerene. Both ITO and aluminum contacts use sputtering and thermal vapor deposition, both of which are expensive, high vacuum techniques. In these photovoltaic cells, light is typically incident on the substrate side, requiring a transparent substrate and a transparent electrode. However, this limits the materials that can be selected for the substrate and the electrode. In addition, a minimum thickness of 30 to 500nm is required in order to improve the conductivity. Also, the organic photoelectric conversion layer is sensitive to oxygen and water vapor, which decrease power conversion efficiency and shorten the life cycle of the organic solar cell. The development of organic photovoltaic cells has achieved conversion efficiencies of 5.2% (Martin A.Green et al, prog. Photovot: Res.appl.2010;18: 346-352).

These polymerized OPVs remain a potential for potentially cost-effective photovoltaic cells because they are solution processable. The adhesive composition is applied by spin coating Using printing (Krebs and Norman, Using light-induced thermal coatings in roll-to-roll process for polymer solar cells, ACS application. Mater. interface 2(2010) 877-887; Krebs et al, A roll-to-roll process Flexible polymer cells: model students, manual and operational characteristics, J.Mater. chem.19(2009) 5442-5451; Krebs et al, Larger plant fibrous cell modules, Mater. Sci. Eng.B138(2007) 106-111; Steim et al, Flex polymeric fibers with fibrous fibers, coating adhesive tape, coating adhesive, coating, large-area organic photovoltaic module-aspect and performance, sol. Lungenschmied et al, Flexible, long-live, large-area, organic solar cells, Sol. energy Mater. Sol. cell 91(2007) 379-384) and roll coating (Jung and Jo, connecting-free high efficiency and large-area polymer solar cells by a roller padding process, adv. Func. Mater.20(2010) 2355-2363) have shown large area OPV. A transparent conductor ITO is usually used as the hole-collecting electrode (positive electrode) in OPVs, of common geometry starting from the ITO positive electrode, an electron-accepting electrode (negative electrode) is added by a thermal evaporation process, usually a low work function metal such as aluminum or calcium.

In addition, in order to improve the efficiency of organic thin film solar cells, photoactive layers have been developed using low molecular weight organic materials, which are stacked and functionally separated by layers (p. peamans, v. bulovic and s.r. forrest, appl.phys. lett.76,2650 (2000)). Alternatively, the photoactive layer is stacked with the interposition of a metal layer of about 0.5-5 nm such that the open-end voltage (V) is_oc) And (5) doubling. (A. Yakimov and S.R.Forrest, appl.Phys.Lett.80,1667 (2002)). As described above, the stacking of the photoactive layer is the most effective technique for improving the efficiency of the organic thin film solar cell. Stacking photoactive layers, however, can cause the layers to melt due to solvent formations originating from different layers. The stack also limits the transparency of the photovoltaic device. The insertion of a metal layer between the photoactive layers can prevent the solvent from penetrating from one photoactive layer to another and from being damaged. However, the metal layer also reduces light transmittance, affecting the power conversion efficiency of the photovoltaic cell。

However, in order for the solar cell to have compatibility with the window, one must first address the issue of transparency of the photovoltaic device. The metal contacts used in conventional solar modules block visibility and must be replaced. Another challenge is to reduce the cost of large-scale manufacturing to make organic solar cells commercially viable, compensating for lower efficiencies than current photovoltaic products at much lower manufacturing costs. For example, opaque solution-based all-Spray devices exhibit up to 0.42% PCE (Lim et al, Spray-deposited poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiopene): poly (styrenesufonate) top electrode for organic solar cells, applied. Phys. Lett.93(2008) 193301-193304). Large scale manufacturing techniques, such as printing, have reduced manufacturing costs, but still involve the use of metals in a particular way, thus affecting the transparency of the photovoltaic cell.

Therefore, there is a need to develop a new method for manufacturing organic photovoltaic cells without using metals, such that the transparency of the new photovoltaic cells is enhanced. The prior art in carrying out the invention does not describe how to achieve these objectives of making the device cheaper, simpler and with enhanced transparency.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention discloses an organic solar photovoltaic cell, which utilizes self-assembly molecules as an interface layer of the cell. The photovoltaic cell includes a substrate having a first side and a second side. The substrate may be any material known in the art for use as a photovoltaic substrate. Exemplary materials include cloth such as nylon cloth, cotton cloth, polyester cloth, hemp cloth, bamboo cloth, glass such as low alkaline earth boro-aluminosilicate glass, and plastic. Useful glasses are known in the art and may include glasses having a nominal sheet resistance of 4-10 Ω/square. The substrate may be a glass substrate having dimensions of 4 "x 4". Exemplary plastics include any polymer such as Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS); acrylic (PMMA); cyclic Olefin Copolymers (COC); ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA); ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH); fluoroplastics such as PTFE, FEP, PFA, CTFE, ECTFE, and ETFE; kydex (acrylic/PVC alloy); liquid Crystal Polymers (LCP); polyoxymethylene (POM or acetal); polyacrylates (acrylics); polyacrylonitrile (PAN or acrylonitrile); polyamides (PA or nylon); polyamide-imide (PAI); polyaryletherketones (PAEKs or ketones); polybutadiene (PBD); polybutene (PB); polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE); polycyclohexylene dimethylene terephthalate (PCT); polycarbonate (PC); polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA); polyketone (PK); a polyester; polyether ketone (PEKK); polyetherimide (PEI); polyethersulfone (PES); chlorinated Polyethylene (CPE); polyimide (PI); polymethylpentene (PMP); polyphenylene Oxide (PPO); polyphenylene Sulfide (PPS); polypropylene (PP); polystyrene (PS); polysulfone (PSU); polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT); polyurethane (PU); polyvinyl acetate (PVA), styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN).

A patterned ITO layer was formed on the first side of the glass, forming the positive electrode. A patterned self-assembled monolayer (SAM) such as N-propyltrimethoxysilane or aminopropyltriethoxysilane is formed on the ITO as a layer having a molecular monolayer of about 2nm or less, such as 2 nm. However, it is important that the thickness of the SAM layer is not more than 2 to 3 layers of a single molecule, that is, 10nm or less. The SAM layer is overlaid with the active layers of P3HT and PCBM. The active layer has a layer thickness of about 130nm to about 200nm, such as about 130nm or about 200 nm. A layer comprising poly (3,4) ethylenedioxythiophene, polystyrene sulfonate, and 5 volume% dimethyl sulfoxide is disposed on the active layer, thereby providing a positive electrode for a photovoltaic cell having a reverse structure. Optionally, such a positive electrode layer has a thickness of about 100nm to about 700nm, and in certain variations may be 600 nm. Exemplary thicknesses include 200nm, 250nm, 300nm, 350nm, 400nm, 450nm, 550nm, 600nm, 650nm, and 700 nm.

The cell is sealed using a sealant, such as a UV-cured epoxy sealant, disposed on the edge of the substrate.

Furthermore, the photovoltaic cells may be in the form of electrical connections, thereby forming an array. For example, a series of organic solar photovoltaic cells are arranged to have a 12mm dimension²Of active area of 50 individual cells. In certain variations, the array comprises 10 cells arranged in series in one row and 5 rows connected in parallel.

The fabrication of photovoltaic cells and arrays using spray technology with novel self-assembled monolayers of N-propyltrimethoxysilane has also been demonstrated. Compared to conventional techniques based on spin coating and using metal as the negative contact, which greatly limits the transparency of solar cells and makes large scale manufacturing difficult, the new spray technique solves both problems. Thin film organic solar modules are fabricated using this layer-by-layer spray technique on a desired substrate (which can be rigid as well as flexible). This technology has great potential for large-scale, low-cost manufacture of commercial photovoltaic products based on organic semiconductor solutions. This technology will get rid of the requirements of high vacuum, high temperature, low rate and high cost manufacturing associated with current silicon and inorganic thin film photovoltaic products. Moreover, the technique can be used on any type of substrate including cloth and plastic. A method of manufacturing an organic solar photovoltaic cell includes patterning ITO onto the above substrate. Patterning of the ITO optionally includes obtaining an ITO substrate and patterning the ITO using photolithography. In certain variations, a customized spray mask is used to spray-coat an ITO lithographic pattern on a substrate. A portion of the ITO is then etched away from the substrate. In certain variations, HCl and HNO are combined₃As the etchant, any one of the etchants known in the art to be suitable for ITO and substrates may be used. The corroded substrate is then cleaned. Exemplary cleaning methods include sonication in trichloroethylene, acetone and/or isopropanol. The substrates were optionally cleaned in each of the three baths of trichloroethylene, acetone and isopropanol at 50 ℃ for 20 minutes, followed by N₂Drying is carried out.

A layer of self-assembled molecular species such as N-propyltrimethoxysilane or other self-assembled molecular materials known in the art such as aminopropyltriethoxysilane (NH)₂) Is applied to the etched ITO glass (Jong SooKim et al, appl. phys. lett.91,112111 (2007)). The self-assembled monolayer is annealed in a glove box. Use has already been made in the artKnown means and concentrations form the active layer of P3HT and PCBM. Exemplary solutions were prepared by mixing P3HT and PCBM in dichlorobenzene at a weight ratio of 1: 1. The solution is optionally stirred on a hot plate at 60 ℃ for 48 hours. After preparation, the active layer is sprayed on the self-assembled molecular layer. The partially assembled device was dried in the antechamber under vacuum for at least 12 hours.

A layer comprising poly (3,4) ethylenedioxythiophene: polystyrene sulfonate mixed with 5 volume% dimethyl sulfoxide is formed by any means known in the art. For example, poly (3,4) ethylenedioxythiophene: polystyrene sulfonate was diluted and filtered through a 0.45 μm filter, followed by mixing dimethyl sulfoxide into the diluted poly (3,4) ethylenedioxythiophene: polystyrene sulfonate. Spraying a solution of poly (3,4) ethylenedioxythiophene polystyrene sulfonate onto the active layer and placing the device in a high vacuum such as 10^-6Torr for 1 hour. Then, the solar photovoltaic cell is annealed and encapsulated with a UV-curable epoxy resin, which is cured with UV.

The apparatus and method of the present invention have solved the problem of the expensive and complex processes currently used for manufacturing crystalline and thin film solar cells, i.e. high vacuum, high temperature, low rate and high cost manufacturing. Furthermore, the technique can be used on other types of substrates, such as plastics. This new technology allows all solution processable organic solar panels to have transparent contacts. This technology has great potential for large-scale, low-cost manufacturing of commercial photovoltaic products based on organic semiconductor solutions. Use of self-assembling molecules (SAM) to improve the work function of ITO and use of SAM to replace previous Cs₂CO₃To improve the efficiency and reproducibility of the device.

Drawings

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a novel inverted OPV cell with a sprayed layer.

Fig. 2 shows a new organic photovoltaic cell when it receives photons with energy hv.

Fig. 3 is a graph of current-voltage (I-V) using an inverted array of SAMs measured at different time points under continuous AM1.5 solar illumination.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a device architecture showing a top view of an inverted array.

Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the device architecture showing the series connected inverted solar arrays.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiments

The present invention for producing a clear (see-through) organic solar array by layer-by-layer (LBL) spraying will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention and the examples included herein. However, before the present compounds, compositions, and methods are disclosed and described, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to specific compounds, specific conditions, or specific methods, etc., unless otherwise specified. Thus, the present invention may be varied, and numerous variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting.

As used herein, "about" means close to or nearly equal to, plus or minus 15% of the value of the index in the context in which the value or range is referred to.

As used herein, "substantially" means substantially, if not entirely, in close proximity with no apparent difference.

All masks described herein for spraying were custom made by Towne Technologies, inc.

Example 1

Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) was patterned onto a glass substrate using a positive photoresist such as Shipley1813, spin coated at 4500rpm and soft baked on a hot plate at 90 ℃ for 3 minutes. The substrate was then exposed to a UV lamp set to a constant intensity mode of 25W for 1.4 seconds. The structures were developed using Shipley MF319 for about 2.5 minutes and rinsed with water. Then, hard-baked at 145 ℃ for 4 minutes, and all excess photoresist was cleaned off with acetone and cotton. After cleaning, 20% HCl-7% HNO was used on a hot plate at 100 deg.C₃The solution of (2) etches the substrate for about 5 to 11 minutes. The etched substrate was then cleaned by hand using acetone followed by isopropanol and further cleaned using UV-ozone for at least 15 minutes.

A self-assembled monolayer (SAM) layer is formed on top of the patterned ITO layer. A solution of N-propyltrimethoxysilane in ethanol (3mM) was prepared and stirred at room temperature for 10 minutes. Once the SAM solution is ready, the ITO substrate is placed in the prepared SAM solution and placed under N at room temperature₂Soaking in a glove box for 36-48 hours.

The SAM solution provides a monolayer thickness of about 2nm or less. The substrate was then rinsed with ethanol, followed by toluene and isopropanol, each for 10 minutes.

Separate solutions of P3HT (high molecular weight) and PCBM (C) were prepared at 20mg/mL in dichlorobenzene at 60 deg.C₆₀) The solution was stirred on a hot plate for 24 hours to prepare an active layer solution. The two separate solutions were then mixed in a 1:1 ratio and stirred on a hot plate at 60 ℃ for 24 hours to produce a final solution of 10 mg/mL. Then, using N₂A spray gun set at 30psi sprayed the active coating over the SAM layer. The spray gun is set to be about 7-10 cm from the substrate and sprayed with a plurality of light layers of the active layer. For each spray application, the solution used is about 600 to900μL。

The final thick and continuous coating of the active layer is applied on the plurality of thin layers to a thickness of about 130nm to about 200nm, thereby completing the coating of the active layer. After drying, the substrate was wiped of excess active layer solution using Dichlorobenzene (DCB) -wet cotton followed by isopropanol-wet cotton. Then, the substrate is placed in the front chamber under vacuum for at least 8-12 hours.

The kovar shadow mask was aligned with the position of the substrate and held in place by placing a magnet under the substrate. The serial connection location was wiped with a wooden pin so that the negative electrode was exposed for later electrical connection.

A modified PEDOT (m-PED) layer was prepared by adding dimethylsulfoxide at a concentration of 5 vol% to the filtered PEDOT: PSS solution. Then, the solution was stirred at room temperature, followed by sonication for 1 hour. The m-PED coating was prepared by placing the substrate/mask on a hot plate (90 deg.C). Nitrogen (N) was used at a setting of 30psi₂) And spraying an m-PED layer by using a spray gun as a carrier gas, wherein the distance between the spray gun and the substrate is about 7-10 cm. Multiple light layers are applied until a final thickness of about 500nm to about 700nm is achieved. The substrate is then removed from the hot plate and the mask is removed. Care was taken to avoid removing mPED with the mask. The substrate is placed under high vacuum (10)^-6Torr) for 1 hour, followed by annealing the substrate at 120 to 160 ℃ for 10 minutes.

The substrate was encapsulated using silver paint applied to the device contacts and the contacts were then dried. The encapsulated glass was notched and cleaned by hand using acetone and isopropanol followed by a UV-ozone clean. A UV-curable Epoxy sealant (EPO-TEKOG 142-12; Epoxy Technology, inc., Billerica, MA) was applied to the edge of the encapsulated glass, and the glass was placed in a glove box for at least 15 minutes while exposed to UV. The device was then inverted upside down and epoxy was applied on top of the encapsulation glass. Finally the device was exposed to UV for 15 minutes to cure the sealant epoxy.

Example 2

Using the method described in example 1, which is parsed with reference to fig. 1, an inverted organic photovoltaic cell 1 is produced. The reverse photovoltaic cell 1 is composed of different layers of active material and terminals (positive and negative) built on a substrate 5. The positive electrode 10, which in this example is composed of ITO, is sprayed onto the substrate 5 to form protrusions from a first set of edges of the substrate 5And (4) patterning. SAM layer 40 covers positive electrode 10 except for the outermost edges, as shown in fig. 2. The composition of the SAM layer is selected to provide a gradient for charge transport across the interface, close to the conventional p-n junction of the organic semiconductor, thereby providing a higher efficiency heterojunction. The active layer 30 is disposed directly on top of the interfacial buffer layer 40, and the active layer 30 is prepared using poly (3-hexylthiophene) and methyl 6, 6-phenyl C61 butyrate. The positive electrode 20 is disposed on the active layer in a manner similar to the negative electrode but perpendicular to the negative electrode. Exemplary positive electrode materials include PEDOT: PSS doped with dimethylsulfoxide. The fully encapsulated 4 μm by 4 μm array was found to have a transparency of over 30%.

The device was analyzed by exposing the cell to continuous illumination, as shown in fig. 2. Photovoltaic cells were exposed at 100mW/cm from a Newport1.6KW solar simulator²Continuous illumination with AM1.5 irradiance. Current-voltage (I-V) display from continuous AM1.5 solar illumination of UV lamps using a reverse array of SAM to generate voltage V_oc1.2V, current I_sc=3.2mA, FF =0.23, and the Power Conversion Efficiency (PCE) at the third measurement is 0.3%, as shown in fig. 3.

Example 3

Solar illumination has been demonstrated to increase the efficiency of solar arrays by up to 250%. The device efficiency of the array was observed to be 1.80% at AM1.5 irradiance. The data show that the improvement in performance under light only occurs on spray coated devices and not on devices made by spin coating (see Lewis et al PCT/US 11/54290). This means that solar cells made using the present spray coating technique perform better in sunlight, which is advantageous for solar applications.

Solar arrays were prepared by arranging 50 individual inverted cells, each having 60mm, as described above²The effective area of (a). The array is configured to connect 10 cells in series in one row to increase voltage and five rows in parallel to increase current. The connection between adjacent cells uses the organic layer configuration shown in the cross-section of fig. 4 and 5.

In the foregoing specification, all documents, acts or information disclosed are not to be taken as an admission that any of the documents, acts or information in any combination is publicly available, known to the public, part of the common general knowledge in the art, or known at the priority date to solve any problem.

The disclosures of all publications cited above, in each case in their entirety, are expressly incorporated herein by reference to the same extent as if each were individually incorporated by reference.

While particular embodiments of the organic photovoltaic cell have been described and shown, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the broad spirit and principles of the invention. It is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Claims (24)

1. A method of manufacturing an organic solar photovoltaic cell, the method comprising the steps of:

patterning ITO onto a substrate;

applying a self-assembled monolayer of layers on the etched ITO glass, wherein the self-assembled monolayer of layers comprises N-propyltrimethoxysilane or aminopropyltriethoxysilane;

annealing the self-assembled molecular layer in a glove box;

spraying an active layer of P3HT and PCBM on the self-assembled molecular layer;

drying the solar photovoltaic cell in a front chamber under vacuum for at least 12 hours;

spraying a layer comprising poly (3,4) ethylenedioxythiophene: polystyrene sulfonate mixed with 5 vol% dimethyl sulfoxide on the active layer;

putting the solar photovoltaic cell in high vacuum for 1 hour;

annealing the solar photovoltaic cell; and

and encapsulating the solar photovoltaic cell by using UV curing epoxy resin.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the ITO patterning further comprises:

obtaining a substrate coated with ITO;

patterning the ITO using photolithography;

etching the ITO; and

and cleaning the etched ITO and the substrate.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the ITO lithographic pattern is sprayed onto the substrate using a custom spray mask.

4. The process of claim 1, wherein HCl and HNO are utilized₃The mixed solution of (4) is subjected to etching of ITO.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the etched ITO and substrate are cleaned by sonication in trichloroethylene, acetone and isopropanol.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the cleaning is performed at 50 ℃, each for 20 minutes, followed by N₂Drying is carried out.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the active layer solution is prepared by mixing P3HT and PCBM in dichlorobenzene in a weight ratio of 1: 1.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the active layer is stirred on a hot plate for 48 hours at 60 ℃ prior to spraying.

9. The process of claim 1, wherein the layer comprising poly (3,4) ethylenedioxythiophene mixed with 5 vol% dimethyl sulfoxide is prepared by:

diluting poly (3,4) ethylenedioxythiophene and polystyrene sulfonate,

filtering the diluted poly (3,4) ethylenedioxythiophene and polystyrene sulfonate through a 0.45-micron filter; and

dimethyl sulfoxide is mixed into diluted poly (3,4) ethylenedioxythiophene and polystyrene sulfonate.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the high vacuum is 10^-6Torr。

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising assembling the organic solar photovoltaic cell to have a thickness of 12mm²Of active area of 50 individual cells.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the array is configured with 10 cells in series in one row and 5 rows in parallel.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein a layer of the self-assembled monolayer comprises N-propyltrimethoxysilane.

14. An organic solar photovoltaic cell comprising:

a substrate having a first side and a second side;

a patterned ITO layer disposed on a first side of the glass;

a layer of patterned self-assembled molecules disposed on the ITO layer, wherein the self-assembled molecules comprise N-propyltrimethoxysilane or aminopropyltriethoxysilane;

an active layer of P3HT and PCBM disposed on the layer of self-assembled molecules;

a layer comprising poly (3,4) ethylenedioxythiophene, polystyrene sulfonate, and 5 vol% dimethyl sulfoxide disposed on the active layer;

at least one contact electrically connected to the active layer, wherein silver paint is disposed on the at least one contact; and

a UV-curable epoxy sealant disposed on the edge of the substrate.

15. The organic solar photovoltaic cell of claim 13, wherein the substrate is a low alkaline earth boro-aluminosilicate glass, cloth, or plastic.

16. The organic solar photovoltaic cell of claim 14, wherein the cloth is nylon cloth, cotton cloth, polyester cloth, hemp cloth, bamboo cloth.

17. The organic solar photovoltaic cell of claim 14, wherein the substrate is a 4 "x 4" sized glass substrate.

18. The organic solar photovoltaic cell of claim 16, wherein the glass has a nominal sheet resistance of 4 to 10 Ω/square.

19. The organic solar photovoltaic cell of claim 13, wherein the active layer has a layer thickness of about 130nm to about 200 nm.

20. The organic solar photovoltaic cell of claim 13, further comprising being arranged to have a 12mm dimension²A series of organic solar photovoltaic cells of an array of 50 individual cells of active area.

21. The organic solar photovoltaic cell of claim 19, wherein the array further comprises 10 cells arranged in series in one row and 5 rows connected in parallel.

22. The organic solar photovoltaic cell of claim 13, wherein the layer comprising poly (3,4) ethylenedioxythiophene polystyrene sulfonate and 5 vol% dimethyl sulfoxide has a thickness of about 100nm to about 600 nm.

23. The organic solar photovoltaic cell of claim 13, wherein the active layer has a thickness of 200nm and the layer comprising poly (3,4) ethylenedioxythiophene polystyrene sulfonate and 5 vol% dimethyl sulfoxide has a thickness of 600 nm.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the self-assembled monolayer comprises N-propyltrimethoxysilane molecules.