Multimodal electron microscopy enables comprehensive insights into organic solar cells
How do organic solar cells work on the inside? The answer lies in structures far too small to see—and difficult to access even with advanced techniques. So far, researchers have relied mainly on X-ray methods to understand how molecules are arranged within these materials and how this order can be optimized for high efficiency. While powerful, X-rays provide only a spatially averaged picture. Electrons, in contrast, offer a local view at the nanoscale, revealing both structure and chemical composition. A complete analysis has therefore required combining both approaches. In a new study, researchers at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, together with partners from Forschungszentrum Jülich and DESY in Hamburg, now show that electrons alone can achieve both. The work has been published in the renowned journal Nature Communications.*
Read more: https://www.fau.eu/2026/04/news/electrons-can-do-it-all/
*DOI 10.1038/s41467-026-70690-y
Additional Information:
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Erdmann Spiecker
Lehrstuhl für Mikro- und Nanostrukturforschung (IMN) & Center for Nanoanalysis and Electron Microscopy (CENEM)
Contact: erdmann.spiecker@fau.de