Claims
- 1. A photovoltaic element, comprising:
- a layer of a photoconductive composition having opposed surfaces, said composition comprising an electrically insulating binder, a pyrylium-type dye salt and an organic photoconductor;
- and an electrical conductor adjacent each of said layer surfaces;
- said element having a conversion efficiency when exposed to sunlight of at least about 0.05 percent.
- 2. An element as defined in claim 1 wherein said photoconductive composition is a P-type composition, one of said conductors is a layer of a metal selected from the group consisting of indium, aluminum, magnesium, tin, chromium, copper and silver, and the other of said conductors is a semitransparent layer of indium tin oxide, tin oxide or nickel coated over a transparent support.
- 3. An element as defined in claim 1 wherein said composition is an N-type composition, one of said conductors is a layer of a metal selected from the group consisting of indium, aluminum, magnesium, tin, chromium, copper, and silver, and the other of said conductors is a semitransparent layer of indium tin oxide, tin oxide or nickel coated over a transparent support.
- 4. An element as defined in claim 1 wherein said photoconductive composition is an N-type composition and includes a dopant dispersed throughout said composition.
- 5. An element as defined in claim 1, and further including a nucleating layer of copper phthalocyanine between said composition and one of said conductors.
- 6. A photovoltaic element, comprising:
- a layer of a photoconductive composition having opposed surfaces, said composition comprising an electrically insulating binder, a pyrylium-type dye salt and an organic photoconductor;
- said dye being selected from one having the structure: ##STR6## wherein: R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 are the same or different and are each hydrogen, aryl, alkyl containing from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms, cyano or nitro;
- X and Q are the same or different and are each selected from the group consisting of O, S or Se;
- n is 1 or 0;
- R.sup.4, r.sup.5, r.sup.6 and R.sup.7 are the same or different and are each phenyl, alkyl or alkoxy containing from 1 to about 5 carbon atoms, at least two of R.sup.4, R.sup.5, R.sup.6 and R.sup.7 being phenyl; and
- Z.sup..theta. is an anionic moiety;
- and an electrical conductor adjacent each of said layer surfaces;
- said element having a conversion efficiency when exposed to sunlight of at least about 0.05 percent.
- 7. A photovoltaic element, comprising:
- a layer of a photoconductive composition having opposed surfaces, said composition comprising an electrically insulating binder, a pyrylium-type dye salt and an organic photoconductor;
- said dye being selected from one having the structure: ##STR7## wherein: R.sup.8, R.sup.9 and R.sup.10 are each phenyl, alkyl containing from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms, or a 5- or 6-membered heterocyclic ring; with the proviso that at least one of R.sup.8, R.sup.9 and R.sup.10 is an alkylamino-substituted phenyl or an alkylamino-substituted 5- or 6-membered heterocyclic ring containing from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms in the alkyl moiety;
- X is oxygen, selenium or sulfur; and
- Z.sup..theta. is an anionic moiety;
- and an electrical conductor adjacent each of said layer surfaces;
- said element having a conversion efficiency when exposed to sunlight of at least about 0.05 percent.
- 8. A photovoltaic cell of enhanced conversion efficiency comprising:
- a layer of an aggregate photoconductive composition having opposed surfaces, said composition comprising a binder having an alkylidenediarylene moiety in a recurring unit thereof, a thiapyrylium dye salt, and an organic photoconductor, said composition being a multiphase organic solid having a continuous phase including said binder and said photoconductor and a discontinuous phase including said dye and said binder, said layer having a thickness between its opposed surfaces that is no greater than about 0.5 micron;
- and an electrical conductor adjacent each of said layer surfaces;
- said element having a conversion efficiency when exposed to sunlight of at least about 0.05 percent.
- 9. A cell as defined in claim 8 wherein one of said conductors comprises a transparent layer of indium tin oxide, tin oxide or nickel coated over a transparent support; and the other conductor comprises a layer of indium.
- 10. A photovoltaic element, comprising:
- a layer of a photoconductive composition having opposed surfaces, said composition comprising an electrically insulating binder, a pyrylium-type dye salt and an organic photoconductor;
- said dye being selected from one having the structure: ##STR8## wherein: R.sup.1 is hydrogen, aryl, alkyl containing from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms, cyano or nitro;
- X and Q are either S, O; S, S; Se, O; or S, Se respectively,
- n is 1 or 0;
- R.sup.4, r.sup.5, r.sup.6 and R.sup.7 are the same or different and are each phenyl, alkyl or alkoxy containing from 1 to about 5 carbon atoms, at least two of R.sup.4, R.sup.5, R.sup.6 and R.sup.7 being phenyl; and
- Z.sup..theta. is an anionic moiety;
- and an electrical conductor adjacent each of said layer surfaces;
- said element having a conversion efficiency when exposed to sunlight of at least about 0.05 percent.
- 11. A photovoltaic cell of enhanced conversion efficiency, comprising:
- a layer of a photoconductive composition having opposed surfaces, said composition comprising:
- an alkylidenediarylene polycarbonate binder, 4-[(2,6-diphenyl-4H-thiapyran-4-ylidene)methyl]-2,6-diphenylthiapyrylium perchlorate, and 4-di-p-tolylamino-4'-[4-(di-p-tolylamino)styrene]stilbene, said layer having a thickness between its opposed surfaces that is no greater than about 0.5 micron;
- adjacent one of said layer surfaces a transparent layer of indium tin oxide, tin oxide or nickel coated over a transparent support; and
- adjacent the other of said layer surfaces a layer of indium.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. Ser. No. 821,117 filed on Aug. 2, 1977, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (19)
Non-Patent Literature Citations (3)
Entry |
R. L. Gamblin, "Solar Cell Utilizing Organic Photoconductor", IBM Tech. Disc. Bull., vol. 18, p. 2442 (1976). |
L. W. Davies, "Prospects for the Direct Conversion of Solar Energy to Electricity", AWA Tech. Rev., vol. 15, pp. 139-142 (1974). |
T. K. Mukherjee, "Photocurrents and Photopotentials in Organic Solids", Conf. Record, IEEE Photospecialists Conf. (1967), pp. 7-21. |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
821117 |
Aug 1977 |
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