According to a paper published in Advanced Materials entitled “High Photovoltaic Performance of Inkjet Printed Polymer:Fullerene Blends” by Dr. Stelios A. Choulis, Claudia N. Hoth, Dr. Pavel Schilinsky and Dr. Christoph J. Brabec, all from Konarka Technologies, the company is claiming to be the first to produce inkjet printed organic bulk heterojunction solar cells.
“Demonstrating the use of inkjet printing technology as a fabrication tool for highly efficient solar cells and sensors with small area requirements is a major milestone,” commented Rick Hess, President and CEO at Konarka, in a statement. “This essential breakthrough in the field of printed solar cells positions Konarka as an emerging leader in printed photovoltaics.”
Konarka raised $45 million in private capital financing in October, 2007 to fund the volume production launch of its ‘Power Plastic’ material for PV applications, particularly BIPV.