All-polymer indoor photovoltaic modules.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Renewable Energy
• Organic Electronics

Background:

• Indoor photovoltaic (IPV) devices are crucial for powering the growing Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem, particularly sensor nodes.
• All-polymer solar cells offer advantages in thermal stability and mechanical properties, making them suitable for practical applications.
• Existing IPV technologies face challenges in achieving sufficient power output and efficiency under indoor lighting conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate and characterize the first all-polymer indoor photovoltaic module with a large active area.
• To evaluate the performance of a novel polymer donor (CD1) and acceptor (PBN-21) pair for IPV applications.
• To demonstrate the potential of eco-friendly processed all-polymer IPV for self-powered IoT sensor nodes.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a 10 cm² all-polymer indoor photovoltaic module using polymer donor CD1 and polymer acceptor PBN-21.
• Optimization of active layer morphology using blade coating with an eco-friendly solvent (tetrahydrofuran) at 55°C.
• Performance testing under standard indoor LED illumination (1000 lux) to measure power conversion efficiency and power output.

Main Results:

• The all-polymer IPV module achieved a power conversion efficiency of 12.04% under 1000 lux illumination.
• A significant power output of 367.2 μW was recorded, exceeding the 100 μW requirement for many IoT sensor nodes.
• The device demonstrated excellent stability and performance characteristics attributed to the chosen polymer materials and processing techniques.

Conclusions:

• All-polymer indoor photovoltaic modules are a viable and promising technology for self-powering IoT sensor nodes.
• The developed module showcases high efficiency and sufficient power output, addressing key requirements for indoor energy harvesting.
• Eco-friendly processing and superior material properties pave the way for scalable and sustainable self-powered electronic systems.