According to GlobalData’s company profile on JFE, polymer electrolyte fuel cells was a key innovation area identified from patents. JFE's grant share as of June 2023 was 1%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.

Patent granted for a laminate for organic thin-film solar cell

Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Credit: JFE Holdings Inc

A recently granted patent (Publication Number: US11683944B2) describes a laminate that serves as a light-transmissive electrode layer and an electron transport layer for organic thin-film solar cells. The laminate consists of a member that acts as the light-transmissive electrode layer and a titanium oxide layer that serves as the electron transport layer. The titanium oxide layer has a thickness ranging from 1.0 nm to 200.0 nm and contains indium oxide and metallic indium. The atomic ratio of InOx/Ti is between 0.50 and 20.00, while the atomic ratio of InM/Ti is less than 0.100.

The patent also covers an organic thin-film solar cell that utilizes the aforementioned laminate. The solar cell includes a light-transmissive electrode layer, an electron transport layer, an organic semiconductor layer, a hole transport layer, and a collector electrode layer in that order.

Furthermore, the patent discloses a method for producing the laminate. The method involves subjecting the member serving as the light-transmissive electrode layer to cathode polarization and then anode polarization in a treatment solution containing a titanium (Ti) component. The Ti content in the treatment solution ranges from 0.004 mol/L to 1.300 mol/L. The Ti component can be hexafluorotitanic acid, potassium hexafluorotitanate, sodium hexafluorotitanate, ammonium hexafluorotitanate, ammonium titanyl oxalate, potassium titanyl oxalate dihydrate, titanium sulfate, or titanium lactate.

The method also includes applying current at a current density between 0.01 A/dm2 and 5.00 A/dm2, with the member serving as the light-transmissive electrode layer acting as both the cathode and the anode.

Additionally, the patent covers a method for producing an organic thin-film solar cell using the aforementioned laminate. The method involves assembling the solar cell with a light-transmissive electrode layer, an electron transport layer, an organic semiconductor layer, a hole transport layer, and a collector electrode layer in that order.

Overall, this patent presents a laminate and methods for producing it, as well as methods for producing organic thin-film solar cells using the laminate. The laminate's unique composition and production process may contribute to the development of more efficient and cost-effective solar cell technologies.

To know more about GlobalData’s detailed insights on JFE, buy the report here.

Premium Insights

From

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Blending expert knowledge with cutting-edge technology, GlobalData’s unrivalled proprietary data will enable you to decode what’s happening in your market. You can make better informed decisions and gain a future-proof advantage over your competitors.

GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.

GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.