Nanosolar, Inc.

Greg Smestad

Brian M Sager

Martin R Roscheisen

Jacqueline A Fidanza

Dong Yu

Klaus Petritsch

Gregory A Miller

Charge-splitting networks, optoelectronic devices, methods for making optoelectronic devices, power generation systems utilizing such devices and method for making charge-splitting networks are disclosed. An optoelectronic device may include a porous nano-architected (e.g., surfactant-templated) film having interconnected pores that are accessible from both the underlying and overlying layers. A pore-filling material substantially fills the pores. The interconnected pores have diameters of about 1-100 nm and are distributed in a substantially uniform fashion with neighboring pores separated by a distance of about 1-100 nm. The nano-architected porous film and the pore-filling, material have complementary charge-transfer properties with respect to each other, i.e., one is an electron-acceptor and the other is a hole-acceptor. The nano-architected porous, film may be formed on a substrate by a surfactant temptation technique such as evaporation-induced self-assembly. A solar power generation system may include an array of such optoelectronic devices in the form of photovoltaic cells with one or more cells in the array having one or more porous charge-splitting networks disposed between an electron-accepting electrode and a hole-accepting electrode.

Growing community of inventors

Pacific Grove, CA, United States of America

Greg Smestad