January 05, 2024
By Mrigakshi Dixit

Experts craft world’s top flexible solar cell for energy generation
Researchers state it to be the “world’s highest-performing stretchable organic solar cell.”Researchers state it to be the “world’s highest-performing stretchable organic solar cell.”

Representational image of a solar cell.

A team of researchers has achieved a milestone by developing lightweight and highly efficient stretchable solar cells for energy generation in electronic gadgets.

Researchers from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) declare it as the “world’s highest-performing stretchable organic solar cell.”

The development is unique as it utilizes organic material to build the photoactive layer of the solar cell, which turns light into energy.

Organic solar cells are particularly well-suited for incorporation into wearable electrical devices due to their lightweight and flexible nature.

This innovation has enormous potential for the future of flexible, energy-efficient wearable technologies.

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Chemical structure of the newly developed conductive polymer and performance of stretchable organic solar cells using the material.

The newly developed stretchable solar cell can undergo a remarkable 40 percent stretch during operation, showcasing its potential for integration into wearable devices.

This breakthrough not only increases the efficiency of solar cells but also tackles a long-standing barrier of flexibility, leading to the development of high-tech wearable electronics.

“Through this research, we not only developed the world’s best performing stretchable organic solar cell, but it is also significant that we developed a new polymer that can be applicable as a base material for various electronic devices that need to be malleable and/or elastic,” said Professor Bumjoon Kim, in the official release.

With the market for wearable electric gadgets quickly expanding, this advancement aims to fulfill demand while also promising a future in which energy-efficient, flexible electronics effortlessly blend into our daily lives.

The findings were reported in the journal Joule.

Study abstract:

High power conversion efficiency (PCE) and mechanical robustness are dual requisites for wearable applications of organic solar cells (OSCs). Here, we simultaneously achieve high electronic and mechanical performances in OSCs using conjugated polymer donors (PDs) consisting of electroactive rigid and soft blocks. Specifically, we integrate rigid and soft blocks to synthesize block-copolymerized PDs (D180.8-s-PEHDT0.2) having an appropriate molecular weight of D18 blocks to reach the effective conjugation length and of PEHDT blocks to achieve high mechanical properties.