Small-Molecule Organic Photovoltaics (SM-OPV™)

Organic photovoltaics (OPV) is an exciting emergent technology that is being explored world-wide for its unique potential to deliver high-performance solar generation capabilities in new products and for applications never dreamed of before. Organic photovoltaics deploys organic, or carbon-based, semiconductors to convert incident light (ambient or solar light) into power.

With several unique performance capabilities, OPVs hold the potential of cheap and ubiquitous solar power while at the same time powering a new generation of mobile machines including electric vehicles, smartphones, smartcards, ereaders, smartdust and other innovative products benefitting from on-board power generation.

GPEC's SM-OPV™ small-molecule organic photovoltaic technology is based on "small-molecules" that function as discrete units at the nanometer scale. From decades of research in small molecule systems, GPEC researchers have unlocked the key fundamental building blocks in materials, device architecture and nanofabrication techniques to enable high performance.  SM-OPV™ materials can be engineered to be highly efficient, long-lived and easily synthesized with low-cost processes.

GPEC's proprietary SM-OPV™ small-molecule organic photovoltaic technology has intrinsic advantages relative to other technologies including:

• Manufacturing compatible fabrication techniques, including vacuum thermal evaporation and organic vapor-phase deposition.
• A room-temperature fabrication process that does not require high, substrate destroying, temperatures (300 ºC-2000 ºC for silicon) during fabrication.
• The ability to form virtually any color of power generating film.
• The ability to form a power generating film on non-flat (e.g., curved or spherical) surfaces.
• The potential to deliver organic solar cells that are highly efficient, long-lived and low-cost.
• Mechanically flexible and rugged power generating films.

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™ small-molecule organic photovoltaic cells.