High-Specific Power Flexible Photovoltaics from Large-Area MoS₂ for Space Applications

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) such as MoS₂ and WSe₂ are excellent candidates for photovoltaic (PV) applications. Here, we present the modeling, fabrication, and characterization of large-area CVD-grown MoS₂-based flexible PV on an off-the-shelf, 3 μm-thick flexible colorless polyimide with polyimide encapsulation designed for space structures. The devices are characterized under 1 sun AM0 illumination and show a V _OC of 0.180 V and a specific power of 0.001 kW/kg for a subnanometer-thick, single MoS₂ monolayer absorber. Model projections indicate that the polyimide encapsulant introduces negligible absorption loss, and up to 12.97 kW/kg specific power is attainable for a 100 nm-thick MoS₂ absorber layer. The devices maintain their performance after repetitive bending down to 5 mm bend radius. An increase in performance is measured after radiation exposure to 1 MeV e^- fluence, which is partially attributed to defect healing. Techno-economic analysis shows that even with a lower efficiency, the specific power of a 2D PV array designed for a 6U CubeSat is 2 orders of magnitude higher, and the cost to deploy in space is 2 orders of magnitude less than that of a Si panel used in space. This indicates that the 2D TMDC-based PV has great potential for space applications.