For this project, researchers from the group of prof.dr.ir. René Janssen (Chemical Engineering and Chemistry) worked together with colleagues from the University of Ulm (German). The results appeared on the site of Nature Materials on Sunday 13 September. The pictures provide new information about the exact way in which polymeric (‘plastic’) solar cells work; this knowledge is crucial to improve the performance of this class of solar cells.

A plastic solar cell consists of two materials that are mixed in a highly complex manner. By means of ‘3D electron tomography’ (comparable to a CT-scan, but with an electron microscope on a nanoscale) the research team managed to capture the material structure in hitherto unattained graphic detail.

Plastic solar cells hold various advantages over ‘conventional’ silicon solar cells. For instance, plastic solar cells can be produced ‘roll-to-roll’ on a printing press, at high speeds. This possibility renders this technology potentially very cheap. Also, plastic solar cells are flexible and light-weight, which makes them suitable for applications on vehicles or clothes and in the design of implements. The plastic solar cells do have some scope for improvement of their efficiency, but the new 3D images may contribute to making up for those arrears.(JH/TJ)/.