Singlet fission research 

Generating more electricity from solar cells and its research is called singlet fission. Scientists at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) are  working on a joint research project partnering  with Argonne-Northwestern Solar Energy Research (ANSER) Center at Northwestern University in Evanston, USA. Singlet fission could increase the efficiency of solar cells. About 6 percent of the gross electricity produced in Germany in 2017 came from photovoltaic systems based on silicon and reaching its limits of potential. Solar cells are extremely inefficient at converting solar energy to electricity. At just 20 to 25 percent efficiency, new methods are needed to increase the performance of solar cells and generate more electricity. Singlet fission has potential for increasing the efficiency of organic solar cells. 

Singlet fission process

When a photon from sunlight is absorbed by a molecule, the energy level of one of the electrons in the molecule is increased. By absorbing a photon, its converted to a state of higher energy. Electricity is then created within solar cells that’s stored temporarily. The optimal scenario is that each photon develops one electron as a carrier for the electricity. If, however, dimers from selected chemical compounds are applied, two electrons from neighbouring molecules can be converted into a state of higher energy. In total, one photon generates two excited electrons, then produces electrical current. This process is SF and the ideal scenario can boost the performance of solar cells. Researchers  investigated the underlying mechanism leading to a better understanding of the SF process.

Incredible findings 

Scientists made a molecular dimer from two pentacene units. This hydrocarbon is a promising candidate for using singlet fission in solar cells. Liquid to light was exposed and used several spectroscopic methods to review the photophysical processes within the molecule. This proves that coupling to a higher charge transfer state is essential for highly efficient SF. Secondly, a model for singlet fission they recently created and published (doi:10.1038/ncomms15171). Lastly, SF efficiency correlates to how strongly the two pentacene sub-units are coupled.

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