Pentacene patterns prove crucial for solar power

Solar panels could be improved by arranging their molecules in a certain pattern, according to new research led by Imperial and UCL. Renewable solar power can be harnessed using solar cells, which are made of materials called semiconductors. In a solar cell, electrons are generated when photons, or packets of light, are absorbed by semiconductors and released as high energy electrons. The way pentacene molecules are arranged in a solar cell can increase the energy output. This could make it much cheaper and more efficient to harvest solar energy in the long run. Daphné Lubert-Perquel Department of Materials However, in some materials, one photon can generate two excited electrons - a highly unusual phenomenon known as singlet fission. In this case not all the electrons are able to escape the semiconductor and to be used as electricity.