Elsevier

Nano Energy

Volume 78, December 2020, 105397
Nano Energy

Wireless portable light-weight self-charging power packs by perovskite-organic tandem solar cells integrated with solid-state asymmetric supercapacitors

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2020.105397Get rights and content

Highlights

  • An overall efficiency of 12.43% solution-processed wireless portable light-weight self-charging power pack.

  • Solution-processed tandem solar cells by perovskite and organic solar cells.

  • Solution-processed solid-state asymmetric supercapacitors by novel electrodes and solid state polymeric electrolytes.

Abstract

Self-charging power packs possess great potential applications in the micro-systems, but these electric circuits are required to be portable, light-weight and even wireless connected for practical applications, in particular, in the wearable and portable electronics. In this study, we report wireless portable light-weight solution-processed self-charging power packs by tandem solar cells integrated with solid-state asymmetric supercapacitors through solution-processed electrical conductive polymeric thin film. Towards the end, we first develop solution-processed tandem solar cells by perovskite solar cells (PSCs) combined with ternary organic solar cells (OSCs) for achieving large operational voltage. We then develop solid-state asymmetric supercapacitors by both novel positive electrode and solid-state polymeric electrolytes for enhancing the energy density and cycling stability. After that, we integrate PSCs–OSCs tandem solar cells with solid-state asymmetric supercapacitors through solution-processed electrical conductive polymeric thin film to build wireless portable light-weight solution-processed self-charging power packs. This novel self-charging power packs not only possess advanced features such as portable, light-weight and wireless connection, but also exhibit excellent electric-circuit device performance, such as with an overall efficiency of 12.43% and an energy storage efficiency of 72.4% under white light illumination. All these results demonstrate that the wireless portable light-weight self-charging power packs through utilization of tandem solar cells as the renewable energy source and solid-state asymmetric supercapacitors as the energy storage device connected with solution-processed electrical conductive polymeric thin film, for the first time, are developed.

Graphical abstract

Solution-processed wireless portable light-weight self-charging power packs by tandem solar cells integrated with solid-state asymmetric supercapacitors through solution-processed electrical conductive polymeric thin film, exhibiting an overall efficiency of 12.43% and an energy storage efficiency of 72.4% under white light illumination, was reported.

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Introduction

Self-charging power packs are a new type of electronics that operated by the stored energy, which was generated by multifarious forms of energy such as light, sound and heat [1]. With this new technology for uninterrupted power supply, one can greatly extend the lifetime of electronics. The self-charging power packs are of importance in the new generation of micro-systems including remote sensors, implantable biosensors and nano-robots [[2], [3], [4], [5]]. However, current self-charging power packs constrain the system performance and do not meet customers’ satisfaction [6]. The self-charging power packs driven by supercapacitors incorporated with liquid electrolytes, which were charged by solar cells have been reported by us and others a few years ago [[7], [8], [9], [10], [11]]. For example, Peng et al. [9] developed flexible energy fiber by integrating polymer solar cells with supercapacitors, which exhibited superior flexibility but a lower overall efficiency of 0.82%. Recently, perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells and redox flow batteries based on bis-(trimethylammonio)propylbviologen (BTMAP-Vi) and 4-trimethylammonium-TEMPO (NMe-TEMPO) redox couples to realize high-performance and stable solar flow battery device was reported [11]. But tandem solar cells based on perovskite/silicon not only required cost-expensive manufacturing processes, but also restricted its compatibility with flexible and lightweight applications [11]. In addition, the self-charging power packs were fabricated through metal wires to connect two different electronic devices restricted its practical applications, in particular, in wearable and portable electronics [[7], [8], [9], [10]]. Thus, the wireless self-charging power packs based on all-solution processed solar cells and solid-state supercapacitors need to be developed.

As solar cell technology, organic solar cells (OSCs) and perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have been attracted great attention in both academic and industrial sectors due to their light-weight and cost-effective manufacturing processes [[12], [13], [14], [15], [16]]. Single junction PSCs with over 25.2% power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) have been reported last year [13]. Single junction OSCs with over 18% PCEs were reported recently [12]. However, the open-circuit voltages (VOC) observed from both single junction PSCs and OSCs were too small to be used for the operation of most electronics. In order to enlarge VOC and thus PCEs, tandem solar cells have been developed [17,18]. In the past years, the overwhelming majority of developments in tandem solar cells has been focused on PSCs combined with either copper-indium-gallium-diselenide (CIGS) solar cells or silicon solar cells [[19], [20], [21], [22]]. Tandem solar cells by PSCs with OSCs possess great advantages since both of them share the same device structures and can be fabricated by cost-effective solution processed method [[12], [13], [14], [15], [16]], However, the PSCs–OSCs tandem solar cells exhibited poor device performance as compared with either PSCs-CIGS or PSCs–Si tandem solar cells [[19], [20], [21], [22]].

As an energy storage device, supercapacitors have been used in the self-charging power packs due to its fast charge and discharge times, high power density and excellent electrochemical stability [[7], [8], [9], [10], [11],23,24]. The supercapacitors for fabrication of self-charging power packs were incorporated with liquid electrolytes and exhibited low energy density [[7], [8], [9], [10]], which limit its practical applications [[25], [26], [27], [28]]. Towards the end, supercapacitors incorporated with non-toxic solid-state electrolytes that exhibit high energy densities need to be developed for practical applications [[25], [26], [27], [28]].

To boost energy density of supercapacitors, pseudocapacitive electrodes and asymmetric device structure have been developed [29,30]. Compared to both transition metal oxides and transition metal sulfides, transition metal selenides possess higher electrical conductivities, which make them as potential materials for the positive electrodes in supercapacitors [[31], [32], [33]]. Polyaniline (PANI) was widely developed pseudocapacitive material since it provided large pseudocapacitance and good flexibility [34,35]. PANI mixed with MnSe2 nanoparticles not only provide good flexibility, but also prevent the aggregate of MnSe2 nanoparticles. Therefore the PANI:MnSe2 composites as the positive electrodes are expected to have both high pseudocapacitance and good flexibility. Reduced graphene oxides are chosen as the negative electrode owing to its high electrical conductivity, large surface area, good mechanical flexibility and excellent stability in various electrolytes [[36], [37], [38]].

In this study, we first report the development of solution-processed tandem solar cells fabricated by PSCs combined with ternary OSCs. PSCs–OSCs tandem solar cells exhibit a VOC of 1.64 V and a PCE of 17.16%, which are among the best device performance parameters from PSCs–OSCs tandem solar cells. We then report the development of solid-state asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs) by both novel positive electrode and solid-state polymeric electrolytes. The solid-state ASCs exhibit an operational voltage of 1.60 V, an energy density of 42.1 Wh/kg and a cycling stability of 2000 cycles. Afterward, for the first time, we report the development of solution-processed self-charging power packs by PSCs–OSCs tandem solar cells integrated with solid-state ASCs through solution-processed electrical conductive polymeric thin film. The self-charging power packs not only possess portable, light-weight and wireless connection advanced features, but also exhibit outstanding electric-circuit device performance such as with an overall efficiency of 12.43% and an energy storage efficiency of 72.4% under white light illumination.

Section snippets

Materials

Poly[[4,8-bis[(5-ethylhexyl)thienyl]benzo [1,2-b,3,3-b]dithiophene-2,6-diyl][3-fluoro-2-[(2-ethylhexyl) carbonyl] thieno [3,4-b]thiophenediyl]] (PTB7-DT) [6,6],-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) were purchased from 1-Materials Inc. O6T-4F (also known as COi8DFIC), was provided by Prof. Liming Ding's group [39]. Poly[9,9-bis(6′-(N,N-diethylamino)propyl)-fluorene-alt-9,9-bis-(3-ethyl(oxetane-3-ethyloxy)-hexyl)-fluorene] (PFN-OX) is synthesized based on the method reported in our

Results and discussion

Fig. 1a presents the molecular structures of PTB7-DT [47], PC71BM and O6T-4F (also known as COi8DFIC) [39,48]. The absorption spectra of PTB7-DT:PC71BM:O6T-4F ternary BHJ composite thin film and CH3NH3PbI3 thin film are presented in Fig. 1b. The absorption of CH3NH3PbI3 thin film ranges from 300 nm to 780 nm, whereas the absorption of PTB7-DT:PC71BM:O6T-4F ternary BHJ composite thin film ranges from 300 nm to 1100 nm. Thus, the combination of these two thin films covers spectral ranges from

Conclusion

In summary, we reported wireless portable light-weight solution-processed self-charging power packs by tandem solar cells integrated with solid-state asymmetric supercapacitors through solution-processed electrical conductive polymeric thin film. Towards the end, we first reported solution-processed tandem solar cells by combination of PSCs with ternary OSCs. PSCs–OSCs tandem solar cells exhibited an open-circuit voltage of 1.64 V and a power conversion efficiency of 17.16%, which were one of

Credit author statement

Tao Zhu: Methodology, investigation and data analysis on tandem solar and integrated device, Writing-original draft. Yongrui Yang: Methodology, investigation and data analysis on supercapacitor and integrated device, Discussion. Yanghe Liu: conducting all experiments suggested by the reviewers. Raymond Lopez-Hallman: Resources, Discussion. Zhihao Ma: Resources, Discussion. Lei Liu: Writing-Reviewing & Editing. Xiong Gong: Project administration, Funding acquisition, Writing-reviewing & Editing.

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the National Science Foundation (ECCS/EPMD1903303) and Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) (through the Organic Materials Chemistry Program, Grant Number: FA9550-15-1-0292, Program Manager, Dr. Kenneth Caster) for financial supports.

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