Henkel, Brilliant Matters Develop Silver Inks for OPV Panels
20 July 2026: Henkel and Brilliant Matters are jointly developing screen-printable silver inks for high-throughput manufacturing of organic photovoltaic (OPV) panels.
The partnership targets a difficult production step: printing narrow conductive silver lines onto sensitive OPV layers without creating defects that lower panel efficiency or durability. The inks are being designed for roll-to-roll production, a continuous method used to coat and print flexible materials at industrial scale.
Unlike conventional silicon modules, OPV cells use carbon-based semiconductor materials deposited in thin layers. Their low weight, flexibility and semitransparency suit surfaces where rigid panels are difficult to use, but manufacturing yield and service life remain central commercial questions.
A Metallisation Bottleneck
Conductive silver lines collect and carry the electricity generated by a solar panel. For OPV devices, these lines must combine high conductivity with fine pattern resolution while remaining compatible with the printed layers beneath them.
Henkel brings experience in conductive ink formulation and printed-electronics adhesives. Brilliant Matters contributes its OPV materials, device architecture and roll-to-roll processing knowledge.
The companies have worked on the inks for more than a year, according to Henkel’s announcement on June 8, 2026. They said initial results showed potential for use on roll-to-roll lines, but did not publish test data, a product name or a commercial launch date.
BM10 Forms the Active-Layer Base
The project builds on BM10, an OPV semiconductor system introduced by Brilliant Matters in August 2025. The company says BM10 has achieved more than 10% stabilised power-conversion efficiency in fully printed, full-size modules. It is formulated for roll-to-roll processing with non-halogenated solvents and low-temperature production.
Henkel’s release said BM10 could support flexible, semitransparent panels producing more than 100 W/m² under standard test conditions and operating for over 25 years. Those figures remain company claims because the release did not include the underlying test protocol or independent certification.
Varun Vohra, Engineering Department Manager at Brilliant Matters, said fine-line patterning on sensitive OPV stacks depends on tight control of ink formulation, print rheology and process integration.
Thibaut Soulestin, technology manager for printed electronics at Henkel, said combining the companies’ respective ink and device expertise could speed industrial adoption of OPV technology.
https://www.henkel.com/
