ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces basic concepts, principles, and key developments of organic photovoltaic (PV) materials and devices for students and nonexperts. Specifically, this chapter starts from background of solar energy to basic concepts and principles of PV processes in both inorganic and organic materials, followed by a presentation of several key types of organic and polymeric PV materials and solar cells from single phase Schottky cell, to donor/acceptor (D/A) bilayer heterojunction Tang cell, to D/A blend bulk heterojunction cell, to D/A bicontinuous-ordered nanostructured (BONS) cell, and to multilayer/multi-gap tandem cell. The chapter also covers certain ongoing optimization approaches for improving the organic PV materials and solar cells.
