An inter-laboratory stability study of roll-to-roll coated flexible polymer solar modules

A large number of flexible polymer solar modules comprising 16 serially connected individual cells was prepared at the experimental workshop at Risø DTU. The photoactive layer was prepared from several varieties of P3HT (Merck, Plextronics, BASF and Risø DTU) and two varieties of ZnO (nanoparticulate, thin film) were employed as electron transport layers. The devices were all tested at Risø DTU and the functional devices were subjected to an inter-laboratory study involving the performance and the stability of modules over time in the dark, under light soaking and outdoor conditions. 24 laboratories from 10 countries and across four different continents were involved in the studies. The reported results allowed for analysis of the variability between different groups in performing lifetime studies as well as performing a comparison of different testing procedures. These studies constitute the first steps toward establishing standard procedures for an OPV lifetime characterization.

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► A stability round robin was carried out involving more than 20 laboratories and more than 300 polymer solar cell modules.
► The reproducibility between laboratories was improved by deliberate choice of testing methods, sample size, contacting scheme and handling.
► Xenon and metal halide lamps were found to reproduce aging under real sun well, whereas sulfur lamps were found to result in overestimation of OPV stability.