Unraveling the Film Formation Process of Printed Photovoltaics by Simulation and Experiment ("SimPrint")

• Applicants: Dr. Andreas Distler; Professor Dr. Jan Lohbreier
• Subject Area: Coating and Surface Technology
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 568785499

Organic and perovskite-based photovoltaics are emerging PV technologies of the latest generation, which possess great potential for the future due to their unique properties. The possibility of designing the solar modules to be light, flexible, and semi-transparent enables new fields of application, particularly in building integration (façades & windows) and agrivoltaics (greenhouses). Another unique selling point is their manufacturing process, as the solar modules can be fabricated at low cost and energy consumption in a solution-based roll-to-roll printing process. The main printing technology used for this is slot-die coating. While slot-die coating is already an industrial standard in some areas of application, it is considered to have the greatest potential for the production of printed photovoltaics, but it is still not sufficiently investigated and understood in this respect. For this reason, it is currently not yet possible to produce large-area printed solar modules in a roll-to-roll process with efficiencies approaching those of small laboratory cells. The aim of this project is therefore to create a fundamental understanding of the film formation process in the fabrication of printed photovoltaics using slot-die coating. To this end, a highly complex but versatile fluid dynamics simulation model is created, which acts as a digital twin to the real coating. The results of the simulations will be verified by practical experiments and the direct comparison of simulative prediction and experimental characterization will lead to deep insights into the physics of the printing process. The effect of particle, ink, and surface properties on the fluid flows and the final film formation will be systematically investigated and unraveled. In this way, design rules for the production of homogeneous and defect-free coatings will be created. The final goal is to generate a fundamental understanding of the relationship between process conditions, film properties and solar module characteristics.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants