About this Course

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The goal of the course is to give students awareness of the largest alternative form of energy and how organic / polymer solar cells can harvest this energy. The course provides an insight into the theory behind organic solar cells and describes the three main research areas within the field i.e. materials, stability and processing.
NOTE: This course is a specialized course on organic solar cells. If you are looking for a more general solar cell course, we strongly recommend Introduction to solar cells (https://www.coursera.org/learn/solar-cells).

Learner Career Outcomes

29%

started a new career after completing these courses

27%

got a tangible career benefit from this course

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Approx. 23 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (Brazilian), Italian, Vietnamese, Korean, German, Russian, Turkish, English, Spanish, Chinese

Instructors

Instructor rating

4.63/5 (72 Ratings)

Learner Career Outcomes

29%

started a new career after completing these courses

27%

got a tangible career benefit from this course

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Approx. 23 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (Brazilian), Italian, Vietnamese, Korean, German, Russian, Turkish, English, Spanish, Chinese

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating93%(6,122 ratings)

Week

1

Week 1

4 hours to complete

Solar Cells and Life Cycle Analysis

By the end of the module we have set the following goals for you: -You should have gained knowledge on solar cells, and their place as a renewable energy -Be able to distinguish between different solar cell technologies -Describe the difference between the three generations of solar cells -Identify the four steps of life cycle analysis -Determine differences between embedded energy, energy return factor, and energy payback time.

4 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 52 min), 9 readings, 3 quizzes

7 videos

The Instructors2m

Introduction10m

3 Generations of Solar Cells11m

Tutorial - Introduction1m

Tutorial - Terms and Abbreviations10m

Life Cycle Analysis - Part I9m

Life Cycle Analysis - Part II6m

9 readings

Welcome1m

Terms and abbreviations10m

Solar energy10m

Solar cells10m

Solar cells - the three generations10m

Life cycle analysis10m

Comparison of OPV with other technologies10m

Environmental impacts of OPV10m

Interpreting the results for OPV10m

3 practice exercises

Solar cells30m

Getting to Know the OPV Jargon30m

LCA30m

Week

2

Week 2

4 hours to complete

Organic and Polymer Solar Cells

By the end of this module you should: -Be able to identify the different steps in the theory behind the solar cells -Be able to measure the efficiency of a solar cell -Be able to describe the different layers in the solar cell and understand their function -Be ready to argue for different applications of the solar cells.

4 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 85 min), 8 readings, 2 quizzes

6 videos

OPV Working Principles6m

How to Characterize Solar Cells4m

Tutorial - IV Curves7m

Layers in the Solar Cell7m

Applications4m

Recorded Live Session I56m

8 readings

Polymer solar cells10m

Why polymer solar cells10m

How to messure solar cells10m

Incident photon-to-current efficiency (IPCE)10m

How do polymer solar cells work10m

The layer stack10m

Tandem Solar Cells10m

Suggested Materials10m

2 practice exercises

Determine Solar Cell Parameters30m

Working Principles30m

Week

3

Week 3

5 hours to complete

Materials in Solar Cells

By the end of this module you should: -Know why we need conjugated polymers and side chains -Know about low band gap polymers -Be able to identify the most common polymerization methods -Be familiar with common characterization techniques used with the materials -Know about acceptor materials used in the active layer of organic solar cells.

5 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 103 min), 10 readings, 3 quizzes

6 videos

Materials in the Active Layer9m

Polymers7m

Synthesis7m

Characterization of Polymers7m

Examples from Literature6m

Recorded Live Session II1h 5m

10 readings

Conjugated polymers10m

Side chains10m

Important materials10m

Suggested Materials10m

Polymer synthesis10m

Purification10m

UV-vis spectroscopy10m

Electrochemical measurements10m

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)10m

Size exclusion chromatography10m

3 practice exercises

Materials30m

Polymerization30m

Characterization30m

Week

4

Week 4

5 hours to complete

Stability and Degradation

By the end of this module you should: -Be able to identify different kinds of degradation behaviours -Know about decay curves, including concepts such as burn-in and T80 -Distinguish between different ISOS standards.

5 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 107 min), 9 readings, 3 quizzes

7 videos

Stability and Degradation - Introduction7m

Decay Curves6m

ISOS Standards12m

Stability Examples6m

Morphological Stability 4m

Electrical Defects9m

Recorded Live Session III1h

9 readings

Degradation and stability10m

Morphological stability10m

Suggested Materials10m

ISOS standards10m

Morphological stability10m

Flexibility and delamination10m

Polymer stability10m

LBIC10m

3 practice exercises

Decay Curves30m

ISOS30m

Stability and Degradation30m

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes, Coursera provides financial aid to learners who cannot afford the fee. Apply for it by clicking on the Financial Aid link beneath the "Enroll" button on the left. You’ll be prompted to complete an application and will be notified if you are approved. Learn more.
Is this course for me?
Organic Solar Cells - Theory and Practice is a specialized course on organic solar cells. If you are looking for a more general course we can strongly recommend Introduction to solar cells (https://www.coursera.org/learn/solar-cells). as an alternative
Will I earn university credit for completing the Course?
This Course doesn't carry university credit, but some universities may choose to accept Course Certificates for credit. Check with your institution to learn more. Online Degrees and Mastertrack™ Certificates on Coursera provide the opportunity to earn university credit.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

Organic Solar Cells - Theory and Practice