Abstract: Described herein are systems, methods, devices, and other techniques for implementing smart windows, smart home systems that include smart windows, and user devices and applications for control thereof. A smart window, or photovoltaic window, may include a photovoltaic configured to generate electrical power from incident light onto the photovoltaic window, store the electrical power, and send the electrical power to an electronics package or various electrical loads including a wireless communication system, sensors, or window functions. The photovoltaic window may communicate with various smart home system devices such as hub devices and user devices, which may include the reception of control data at the photovoltaic window and the transmission of sensor data captured by the window sensors.

Abstract: Described herein are systems, methods, devices, and other techniques for implementing smart windows, smart home systems that include smart windows, and user devices and applications for control thereof. A smart window, or photovoltaic window, may include a photovoltaic configured to generate electrical power from incident light onto the photovoltaic window, store the electrical power, and send the electrical power to an electronics package or various electrical loads including a wireless communication system, sensors, or window functions. The photovoltaic window may communicate with various smart home system devices such as hub devices and user devices, which may include the reception of control data at the photovoltaic window and the transmission of sensor data captured by the window sensors.

Abstract: Described herein are systems, methods, devices, and other techniques for implementing smart windows, smart home systems that include smart windows, and user devices and applications for control thereof. A smart window, or photovoltaic window, may include a photovoltaic configured to generate electrical power from incident light onto the photovoltaic window, store the electrical power, and send the electrical power to an electronics package or various electrical loads including a wireless communication system, sensors, or window functions. The photovoltaic window may communicate with various smart home system devices such as hub devices and user devices, which may include the reception of control data at the photovoltaic window and the transmission of sensor data captured by the window sensors.

Abstract: An insulated glass unit (IGU) characterized by a transmitted IGU color (a*IGU;b*IGU) includes a photovoltaic structure characterized by a first transmitted color (a*1;b*1) and a low emissivity structure characterized by a second transmitted color (a*2;b*2). The first transmitted color and the second transmitted color are complementary.

Abstract: A visibly transparent photovoltaic device includes a visibly transparent substrate, a first visibly transparent electrode on the visibly transparent substrate, a second electrode, a visibly transparent photoactive layer between the first visibly transparent electrode and the second electrode and configured to convert at least one of near-infrared light or ultraviolet light into photocurrent, and a near-infrared absorbing material layer configured to absorb the near-infrared light and transmit visible light.

Abstract: Organic photovoltaic devices with compound charge transport layers are described herein. One such device includes a substrate, a first electrode coupled to the substrate, a second electrode disposed above the first electrode, and photoactive layers disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The device further includes a compound charge transport layer disposed between the photoactive layers and either the first electrode or the second electrode. The compound charge transport layer includes a charge transport layer and a metal-oxide interlayer disposed between the charge transport layer and the photoactive layers. The charge transport layer may be a hole transport layer or an electron transport layer.

Abstract: Photovoltaic devices having photoactive layers coupled to buffer layers are disclosed. Such devices may be transparent to visible light but absorb near-infrared light and/or ultraviolet light. The photovoltaic devices may include a p-phenylene layer that acts as a buffer layer. The photovoltaic devices may include one or more photoactive layers. The one or more photoactive layers may include a single planar heterojunction, a single bulk heterojunction (BHJ), or multiple stacked BHJs that have complementary absorption characteristics, among other possibilities.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are visibly transparent photovoltaic devices, such as color-neutral visibly transparent photovoltaic devices. A color-neutral visibly transparent photovoltaic device includes a visibly transparent substrate and a first visibly transparent electrode coupled to the visibly transparent substrate. The device also includes a second visibly transparent electrode and a visibly transparent photoactive layer between the first visibly transparent electrode and the second visibly transparent electrode. The visibly transparent photoactive layer is configured to convert at least one of NIR light or UV light into photocurrent and is characterized by an absorption spectrum with a peak in the NIR or UV spectrum. The device further includes a visibly absorbing material characterized by a second absorption spectrum with a second peak in the visible spectrum, where the second absorption spectrum is complementary to the absorption spectrum.

Abstract: Visibly transparent photovoltaic devices having bulk heterojunctions (BHJ) are disclosed. Such devices are transparent to visible light but absorb near-infrared light and/or ultraviolet light. The photovoltaic devices may include bottom and top visibly transparent electrodes, as well as multiple stacked BHJ active layers that have complementary absorption characteristics. For example, a first BHJ active layer may have an absorption spectrum that is complementary to an absorption spectrum of a second BHJ active layer.

Abstract: A transparent photovoltaic device includes a transparent substrate and a transparent bottom electrode coupled to the transparent substrate. The transparent photovoltaic device also includes an active layer coupled to the transparent bottom electrode and a transparent multilayer top electrode that includes a seed layer coupled to the active layer and a metal layer coupled to the seed layer. The transparent photovoltaic device is characterized by an average visible transmission (AVT) greater than 25% and a top electrode sheet resistance that is less than 100 Ohm/sq.

Abstract: Described herein is an apparatus and method used to provide power or photovoltaic functionality to a display or device containing a display without impacting the visual perception of the display. The wavelength-selective photovoltaic (WPV) element is visibly transparent, in that it absorbs selectively around the visible emission (or reflection) peaks generated by the display. The photovoltaic material is able to cover a portion or the entire surface area of the display, without substantially blocking or perceptually impacting the emission (or reflection) of content from the display. The incident light that is absorbed by the photovoltaic element is then converted into electrical energy to provide power to the device, for example.

Abstract: Described herein are reactors capable of sequentially or simultaneously depositing thin-film polymers onto a substrate by oxidative chemical vapor deposition (oCVD), initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD), and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The single-unit CVD reactors allow for the use of more than one CVD process on the same substrate without the risk of inadvertently exposing the substrate to ambient conditions when switching processes. Furthermore, the ability to deposit simultaneously polymers made by two different CVD processes allows for the exploration of new materials. In addition to assisting in the deposition of polymer films, plasma processes may be used to pretreat substrate surfaces before polymer deposition, or to clean the internal surfaces of the reactor between experiments.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein provide methods for processing various polymer materials for use in devices, such as photovoltaic devices. In some cases, oxidative chemical vapor deposition (oCVD) may be used to process conjugated polymers, including relatively insoluble conjugated polymers. The methods described herein provide processing techniques that may be used to synthesize and/or process polymers, such as unsubstituted thiophene.

Abstract: The present invention generally relates to cathode buffer materials and devices and methods comprising the cathode buffer materials.

Abstract: A conducting material can include a fibrous substrate and a conductive polymer coating on a surface of the fibrous substrate.

Abstract: The present invention generally relates to electrodes formed by oxidative chemical vapor deposition and related methods and devices.

Abstract: Described herein is an apparatus and method used to provide power or photovoltaic functionality to a display or device containing a display without impacting the visual perception of the display. The wavelength-selective photovoltaic (WPV) element is visibly transparent, in that it absorbs selectively around the visible emission (or reflection) peaks generated by the display. The photovoltaic material is able to cover a portion or the entire surface area of the display, without substantially blocking or perceptually impacting the emission (or reflection) of content from the display. The incident light that is absorbed by the photovoltaic element is then converted into electrical energy to provide power to the device, for example.

Abstract: The present invention generally relates to cathode buffer materials and devices and methods comprising the cathode buffer materials.

Abstract: The present invention generally relates to electrodes formed by oxidative chemical vapor deposition and related methods and devices.

Abstract: Described herein are reactors capable of sequentially or simultaneously depositing thin-film polymers onto a substrate by oxidative chemical vapor deposition (oCVD), initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD), and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The single-unit CVD reactors allow for the use of more than one CVD process on the same substrate without the risk of inadvertently exposing the substrate to ambient conditions when switching processes. Furthermore, the ability to deposit simultaneously polymers made by two different CVD processes allows for the exploration of new materials. In addition to assisting in the deposition of polymer films, plasma processes may be used to pretreat substrate surfaces before polymer deposition, or to clean the internal surfaces of the reactor between experiments.