American Chemical Society's Weekly PressPac -- March 12, 2008

Alan J. Heeger and colleagues point out that plastic solar cells, fabricated from bulk heterojunction materials comprising semiconducting polymers and fullerenes, have already demonstrated promising performance. However, researchers do not understand how to control the nano-scale morphology and are looking for ways to optimize the solar cell performance for practical use. Heeger, co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2000 for his pioneering research on conducting polymers, is widely recognized for his ongoing efforts to improve solar cell efficiencies.

In the new study, Heeger and colleagues found that adding a class of chemicals called alkanedithiols as processing additives improves both the morphology and the solar cell performance.They showed that by utilizing alkanedithiols as processing additives, the efficiency of the plastic solar cells increased from 3.4 percent to 5.1 percent, among the highest efficiencies achieved to date for this type of solar cell. “These data provide a better understanding of correlation between the nano-scale morphology of the bulk heterojunction film and the solar cell performance,” the report states.

ARTICLE #2 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE “Processing Additives for Improved Efficiency from Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells”

DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT ARTICLE http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ja710079w

CONTACT:
Alan J. Heeger, Ph.D.
University of California at Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California 93106
Phone: 805-983-3184
Fax: 805-893-4755
Email:

Enormous molecules called dendrimers could serve a variety of functions, including improving drug delivery to materials. Scientists report a method to manufacture them on an industrial scale for the first... Click here for more information.

ARTICLE #3 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A new industrial-scale process for making big molecules with a big future
The Journal of Organic Chemistry

Scientists are reporting discovery of a new method that will enable manufacturers to produce industrial-size batches of dendrimers for the first time. Dendrimers are giant molecules with tree-like branches with a range of potentially valuable commercial and industrial applications. The study is scheduled for the March 21 issue of ACS’ monthly Journal of Organic Chemistry.

Dendrimers can be produced in custom-designed shapes, sizes, structures and weights suitable for specific uses. Those potential applications range from drug delivery and gene transfer to new materials, coatings, sensors, and herbicides. But because they require multiple steps to make, dendrimers are difficult to produce on an industrial scale.