Catching some rays

Efficiency boost
Leclerc’s current efforts to boost the efficiency of Power Plastic builds on strong past success. Beginning in 2008, he spearheaded a collaboration between Université Laval, Konarka Inc., the National Research Council and St-Jean Photochemicals Inc. under the Sustainable Development Technology Canada program wherein a family of PV polymers called polycarbazoles was developed.

“These polymers are especially efficient electrical conductors,” says Leclerc. “We needed to find the optimum mixture in the active layer of the polymer and one other molecule to achieve maximum efficiency in light absorption and electricity conduction. It also had to be stable.” The work was mostly diligent trial and error and Leclerc is first to admit that luck played a certain role.

Right now, Power Plastic boasts an efficiency of seven percent, but Leclerc is confident he and his team of graduate students will be able to get to ten percent in the next two years.

“As an added bonus, as you increase the efficiency, you also reduce cost by the same factor, so boosting efficiency by two times means the price is halved,” he says.

While Leclerc’s team works to improve light absorption, transport of electricity must also be boosted. Then there’s the need for improved solubility to aid in substrate application, while maintaining properties that provide good stability, shelf-life, recyclability and removability.

“We also want to avoid the use of chlorinated solvents and improve efficiencies of manufacturing,” Leclerc says. “We know where we have to go and what’s promising, but to tell you exactly what we need to do is impossible.”
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