Bio-inspired Electrets for Controlling Charge Transfer Process

Solar energy is the most favorable sustainable source compared to all other energy sources available, because of its abundance and its limited harmful effects on the environment. Solar energy conversion technologies such as photovoltaic devices (PV) suffer from low cost-efficiency, compared to fossil fuel energy technologies, and loss of energy due to reductions in the photocurrent caused by charge recombination. We hypothesize that the reduction in the photocurrent can be inhibited by the presence of intrinsic electric fields oriented opposite to the direction of the charge transfer. Inspired by photosynthethic macromolecules with large intrinsic dipole moments, which generate intrinsic electric fields, we designed and synthesized oligo-ortho-arylamide based molecular systems. By utilizing inexpensive organic conjugates for developing PVs with improved efficiency, we aim to decrease the cost of photovoltaic energy production.