Project description
Advanced materials to boost stability and efficiency of organic photovoltaics
Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) are lightweight, flexible solar materials that can be integrated into building materials, IoT devices, solar greenhouses and aerospace technologies. However, unlike traditional solar panels, they degrade over time, which limits their practical use. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the COSMIC project investigates conjugated block copolymers – materials that combine electron donor and acceptor molecules within a single polymer chain. This design holds great potential for improving OPV stability and performance. Using advanced tools, including microscopes capable of visualising individual polymer chains one at a time, researchers will examine these materials at the molecular level to understand how structure influences function. The results could guide the development of more efficient, durable OPVs.
Objective
COSMIC is an ambitious research project aimed at addressing a critical challenge in organic photovoltaics (OPVs), particularly their long-term stability, which is essential for enhancing their contribution to renewable energy solutions and tackling climate change. OPVs, which are lightweight, flexible, and can be integrated into a wide range of applications—from building-integrated photovoltaics to solar-powered greenhouses and aerospace technologies—represent a promising alternative to traditional silicon-based solar panels. However, despite recent advancements, OPVs face performance degradation over time due to the instability of their active materials.
The central focus of COSMIC is to gain unprecedented molecular-level insights into the microstructure of conjugated block copolymers, a key class of materials recently proposed in OPVs to tackle the stability problem. These materials combine electron donor and acceptor molecules into a single polymer chain, a design with great potential for enhancing OPV performance. However, the precise arrangement and interaction of D and A units at the molecular level are still not fully understood, limiting further advancements.
COSMIC will employ cutting-edge techniques such as scanning tunnelling microscopy and photoemission spectroscopy to study the molecular structure, assembly, and electronic properties of these materials with unprecedented resolution. The project is structured around three core objectives: characterising the molecular-scale structure and electronic properties of PM6/Y6 and PM6-b-Y6 polymers at the molecular level, correlating these insights with OPV device performance, and feeding this knowledge back into the synthesis process to enable optimisation through rational design.
The outcomes of COSMIC are expected to have a wide-reaching impact, advancing OPV technology by making it more efficient and stable while demonstrating a novel methodology for characterising complex functional molecular systems.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences chemical sciences polymer sciences
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels renewable energy solar energy photovoltaic
- natural sciences physical sciences optics spectroscopy
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
B15 2TT Birmingham
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.