Breakthrough in wireless technology with ultrathin solar panels

A new manufacturing technique creates ultrathin solar cells that are so light and flexible that they can rest on the surface of a soap bubble.

 
Creating ultrathin solar panels has been a longstanding goal in the field of materials sciences, and will help countless technologies transition to wireless power sources for enhanced application, mobility, and freedom.

In a recent study published in Advanced Materials Technologies, researchers Professor Derya Baran and her team from King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST) have developed solar panels that are so thin and flexible they can be embedded into the surface of a soap bubble.

“The tremendous developments in electronic skin for robots, sensors for flying devices, and biosensors to detect illness are all limited in terms of energy sources,” said Eloïse Bihar, a postdoc in Baran’s lab who led the research. “Rather than bulky batteries or a connection to an electrical grid, we thought of using lightweight, ultrathin organic solar cells to harvest energy from light, whether indoors or outdoors.”

Organic materials have shown promise in this area and have been used to create the next generation of ultralight solar harvesting devices for small-scale applications, such as powering drones. Current manufacturing practices, however, limit the design freedom and capabilities of current devices.

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Πηγή: advancedsciencenews.com