by As the market for wearable electric devices continues to grow, the development of stretchable solar cells that can function under strain has become a major focus in the energy industry. One of the key challenges in building such solar cells is creating a photoactive layer, which converts light into electricity, that has both high electrical performance and mechanical elasticity. However, a research team from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at KAIST has recently announced a breakthrough in this area.
Led by Professor Bumjoon Kim, the team has developed a new conductive polymer material that achieves both high electrical performance and elasticity, while introducing the world’s highest-performing stretchable organic solar cell. The research, titled “Rigid- and soft-block-copolymerized conjugated polymers enable high-performance intrinsically stretchable organic solar cells,” was published in the scientific journal Joule on December 1.
Organic solar cells are devices with a photoactive layer composed of organic materials, which make them lighter and more flexible compared to non-organic material-based solar cells. This flexibility makes them highly applicable for use in wearable electrical devices. However, previous high-efficiency solar cells lacked the necessary flexibility for wearable devices, limiting their potential.
To overcome this challenge, the research team conjugated a highly stretchable polymer with an electrically conductive polymer that has excellent electrical properties through chemical bonding. This new conductive polymer possesses both electrical conductivity and mechanical stretchability, exceeding the highest reported level of photovoltaic conversion efficiency (19%) using organic solar cells. Additionally, it has 10 times the stretchability of existing devices.
The result is the world’s highest-performing stretchable solar cell, capable of being stretched up to 40% during operation. The team also demonstrated its applicability for use in wearable devices, opening up new avenues for integrating solar cells as a sustainable energy source in various wearable technologies.
This innovative development has significant implications for the future of wearable electronics. By combining high performance and stretchability in solar cells, researchers are paving the way for more efficient and versatile wearable devices that can harness the power of the sun for sustainable energy generation. This advancement brings us one step closer to a future where wearable technologies are seamlessly integrated into our daily lives, providing both convenience and environmental benefits.
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1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
