High fidelity nano-structures and arrays for photovoltaics and methods of making the same

US9214590B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · US

Inventors

• Joseph M. DeSimone · Monte Sereno, US
• Ginger Denison Rothrock · Cary, US
• Zhilian Zhou · Chapel Hill, US
• Edward T. Samulski · Chapel Hill, US
• Meredith Earl · Durham, US
• Stuart K. Williams · Tucson, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 6, 2013
• Grant date: Dec 15, 2015
• Expiry date: May 6, 2033

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02E10/549
• WIPO field: Micro-structural and nano-technology
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A photovoltaic device includes an electron accepting material and an electron donating material. One of the electron accepting or donating materials is configured and dimensioned as a first component of a bulk heterojunction with a predetermined array of first structures, each first structure is substantially equivalent in three dimensional shape, has a substantially equivalent cross-sectional dimension, and where each first structure of the array of first structures has a substantially equivalent orientation with respect to adjacent first structures of the predetermined array forming a substantially uniform array.