Higher-performing materials for photovoltaics to be developed in Canada

The National Research Council of Canada and Brilliant Matters sign strategic agreement for next-generation photovoltaic materials

What are organic photovoltaics? They are thin, light, flexible and mechanically resistant solar cells based on organic semiconductors— materials that can conduct electricity under certain conditions. The organic photovoltaics industry continues to gain momentum worldwide, causing an increased demand for new advanced materials.

To respond to this demand and facilitate the development of next-generation materials in Canada, the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) signed a strategic agreement with Brilliant Matters to license the intellectual property of one of their semiconductors. Through this licensing agreement, Brilliant Matters will have access to a high-performing material developed at the NRC. The use of this material will help Brilliant Matters generate higher-performing semiconductors to produce organic photovoltaics at a lower cost. The final product, which will be produced in Canada, will increase the country's competitiveness on the organic semiconductor market and ultimately provide better and more affordable photovoltaics worldwide.

"Our partnership with the NRC will help us position Canada and Brilliant Matters as a leader in organic photovoltaics materials," said Philippe Berrouard from Brilliant Matters. "We are pleased to partner with the NRC to share mutual expertise and expand Canadian capabilities."

Brilliant Matters was founded in Québec City, Quebec, in 2016 with the vision to produce high-performance polymeric semiconductors for use in printed electronics. Their researchers are pioneers in developing greener, more efficient methods of producing these next-generation materials.