Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 January 2016
Organic solar (OPV) cells are cheap electronics that can replace the widely usedhigh cost silicon-based electronics for electricity generation. They are cheapbecause of the easy techniques involved in their fabrication processes and theycan be produced to cover a large surface area. However, the current lowperformance of organic electronics has been traced to failure due to interfacialadhesion problems, material processes, and service conditions. Therefore,transportation of charge carriers across the bulk heterojunction system of OPVcells becomes very difficult in the presence of these flaws. In this paper acombined experimental and computational technique is used to study thereliability and physics failure of stretchable OPV cells. Interfacial adhesionenergies in the layered structures of OPV cells are measured and compared withtheoretical estimated energies. The limit stresses/strains applied on layeredOPV cells during service condition are estimated using critical values of themeasured interfacial adhesion. The results obtained are, therefore, explained toimprove the design of reliable OPV cells.