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Pushing the Limits of Flexibility and Stretchability of Solar Cells: A Review
Author(s) -
Dauzon Emilie,
Sallenave Xavier,
Plesse Cedric,
Goubard Fabrice,
Amassian Aram,
Anthopoulos Thomas D.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
advanced materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.707
H-Index - 527
eISSN - 1521-4095
pISSN - 0935-9648
DOI - 10.1002/adma.202101469
Subject(s) - stretchable electronics , flexibility (engineering) , nanotechnology , electronics , wearable technology , photovoltaics , materials science , wearable computer , flexible electronics , soft materials , organic solar cell , computer science , electrical engineering , photovoltaic system , engineering , polymer , statistics , mathematics , composite material , embedded system
Emerging forms of soft, flexible, and stretchable electronics promise to revolutionize the electronics industries of the future offering radically new products that combine multiple functionalities, including power generation, with arbitrary form factor. For example, skin‐like electronics promise to transform the human‐machine‐interface, but the softness of the skin is incompatible with traditional electronic components. To address this issue, new strategies toward soft and wearable electronic systems are currently being pursued, which also include stretchable photovoltaics as self‐powering systems for use in autonomous and stretchable electronics of the future. Here recent developments in the field of stretchable photovoltaics are reviewed and their potential for various emerging applications are examined. Emphasis is placed on the different strategies to induce stretchability including extrinsic and intrinsic approaches. In the former case, engineering and patterning of the materials and devices are key elements while intrinsically stretchable systems rely on mechanically compliant materials such as elastomers and organic conjugated polymers. The result is a review article that provides a comprehensive summary of the progress to date in the field of stretchable solar cells from the nanoscale to macroscopic functional devices. The article is concluded by discussing the emerging trends and future developments.