Both companies aim to jointly develop and commercialize advanced semiconducting materials and formulations for applications in organic photovoltaics (OPV).
Merck KGaA of Germany announced this week it has signed a collaboration agreement with Nano-C, Inc., a leading developer of nanostructured carbon for use in energy and electronics applications. By adding to its base of OPV materials, Merck will distribute PCBM fullerene derivative products, a family of semiconducting materials commonly used in OPV applications.
The collaboration will target the development of material systems to go beyond the performance limitations of current-generation OPV materials. It will bring together Merck’s extensive experience with organic semiconducting materials and Nano-C’s unique know-how and intellectual property in fullerene derivatives. Novel material concepts produced using intelligent design will enable power conversion efficiency values in excess of 10%, thereby creating new and broader market interest in organic photovoltaic technologies.
“Nano-C’s world-leading expertise and IP in fullerene technology complements our extensive material portfolio in organic electronics and will enable the rapid development of commercially attractive products for the exciting area of organic photovoltaics,” said Dr. Klaus Bofinger, Head of Advanced Technologies at Merck. “Merck already offers a wide range of materials and formulations for the photovoltaic industry and aims to further strengthen its position in this field,” Bofinger added.
