Japanese physicists have developed a stretchable solar cell that could power wearables in the future without sacrificing power conversion efficiency.
The team from Riken, a Japanese scientific research institute, sought to create flexible solar cells for wearable devices that still perform well when they're stretched during the normal, everyday grind, the company detailed in a release.
However, the team first had to overcome the obstacle of solar cells' lack of "intrinsic stretchability." Kenjiro Fukuda, a senior research scientist at Riken, said they resemble plastic wrap in that you can only stretch them so much before they inevitably tear.
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Fukuda and his colleagues have discovered the key to creating a high-performing flexible solar cell with extraordinary stretchability lies in an organic compound called ION E.
By adding the compound to the solar cell's electrode layer, they found it greatly increased stretchability without impacting power conversion efficiency. The team found the cell kept 95% of its original energy efficiency after it was stretched 100 times by 10%.
During their research, which was published in Nature Communications, they realized the compound delivered another unanticipated advantage.
"This came as a nice surprise for us," Fukuda said in a Riken press release. "We hadn't anticipated that ION E would increase the adhesion between layers."
"Thanks to these two effects, the electrode can take up some of the strain from the active layer above it (which converts light into electrons), improving the stretchability of the whole device," the researchers explained in the news release.
Fukuda said the next step is to develop a larger flexible organic solar cell. However, the team must first figure out how to overcome the low conductivity of the substance that transforms solar energy into electricity.
🗣️ Would you want a battery sewn into your clothing?
🔘 Totally 👍
🔘 No way 👎
🔘 Sure — if it charges my phone 📱
🔘 I'm not sure 🤔
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
If the technology is successfully developed, it could pave the way for the next generation of wearables. Several breakthroughs have already been made in flexible solar cell technologies, such as shell-shaped solar cells that demonstrated increased light absorption and even printable cells with the same efficiency rate as regular solar panels.
Because solar cells generate and store their own power, they eliminate the need for recharging, thus reducing energy use and strain on the grid. In turn, this helps lower pollution from electricity generated by dirty fuels, saving you money while saving the planet.
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