Textile-compatible substrate electrodes with electrodeposited ZnO--a new pathway to textile-based photovoltaics

A strategy is presented to realize textile-based photovoltaic cells motivated by developments of textile-based electronics and their demand of grid-independent energy supply. Beyond this, a development of textile-based photovoltaics also represents an attractive pathway towards very flexible and rugged solar cells. The need for compatibility of an appropriate photovoltaic technology with the physical limitations of textiles is stressed. Electrodeposition from aqueous solutions is presented as a successful strategy to realize semiconductor structures on textiles and detailed control and influence of the deposition conditions is discussed. The role of microelectrode effects, options of forced convection, deposition under pulsed potential, alternative deposition baths and different substrate metals are emphasized. An active electrode material is presented which reaches a conversion efficiency close to the 1% limit under AM 1.5 illumination conditions and thereby opens the door for a further optimization towards devices of technical interest.