PowerPaint™

Since the mid-1990s GPEC University partner researchers have realized that organic photovoltaics (OPV's) offered many interesting options in fabricating solar power generating coatings. Typically an organic solar cell is formed by the application of organic semiconductors to a clear surface that serves as a "window" for the incoming light to interact with the organic molecules to create power – like GPEC's SM-OPV™ technology.

GPEC researchers found that devices could also be formed by applying GPEC's SM-OPV™ materials in a reverse or "inverted" fashion to metal foils, plastic or glass surfaces in a manner much like spray painting – GPEC named this technology PowerPaint™.

GPEC's SM-OPV™ PowerPaint™ technology is the only solar technology that can allow partner licensees to extend battery power in virtually any mobile application – enabling/enhancing exciting new mobile machines including Electric Vehicles (EVs), Cell phones, Smartphones, eReaders, Active tags/RFID, smart-dust and more.

Advantages of GPEC's SM-OPV™ PowerPaint™ technology include:

• A room-temperature fabrication process akin to spray painting turns the enclosure of a mobile machine or device into a generator or battery charger – GPEC's process does not require high, substrate destroying, temperatures (300 ºC-2000 ºC for silicon) during fabrication.
• Putting the power generating capability on the outside of the device saves valuable internal space for hardware.
• GPEC's SM-OPV™ PowerPaint™ solar cells function as a paint and charger in one.
• The ability to form virtually any color of power generating film using GPEC's SM-OPV™ PowerPaint™ technology.
• The ability to form a power generating film directly on non-flat (e.g., curved or spherical) surfaces like car bodies or smartphone casings.
• The potential to deliver organic solar cells that are highly efficient, long-lived and low-cost.
• Mechanically flexible and rugged power generating films – perfect for demanding mobile applications.

Only GPEC can provide partner companies with a preeminent, foundational intellectual property patent portfolio spanning the materials, device architectures and nanofabrication techniques needed to manufacture high-performance SM-OPV™ PowerPaint™ coatings.