Chemical Institute and others make progress in the integration of wearable perovskite solar cells

Perovskite solar cells have garnered significant interest in the photovoltaics field thanks to their impressive energy conversion efficiency, affordability, and the ability to be fabricated at low temperatures. These cells not only excel in performance but also offer flexibility, portability, and adaptability to curved surfaces when produced via low-temperature processes. This opens up exciting possibilities for integrating them with flexible electronics, potentially advancing wearable tech and photovoltaic-integrated building solutions. However, these benefits come with challenges, particularly concerning reliability when the cells are subjected to mechanical stress. Song Yanlin's research group at the Key Laboratory of Green Printing, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has made notable strides in the development of flexible, wearable perovskite solar cells. Their efforts span multiple publications, including studies in *Adv. Mater.* (2017, 29, 1703236), *Energy Environ. Sci.* (2019, 12, 979-987), *Joule* (2019, 3, 2205-2218), *ACS Energy Lett.* (2019, 5, 1065), *Nat. Commun.* (2020, 11, 3016), *Adv. Energy Mater.* (2021, 11, 2101291), and *Infomat.* (2022, 4, e1235). By combining green nanoprinting techniques with innovative mechanical designs, the team has achieved functional integration of flexible perovskite power systems, paving the way for their use in portable electronics and wearable devices. Recently, the team introduced a novel approach using liquid crystal elastomers as molecular interlayers to enhance the orderliness of charge transport channels. This strategy enabled the creation of robust, wearable perovskite solar cells. The research revealed that when liquid crystal diacrylate monomers and liquid crystal oligomers with dithiol end groups are photopolymerized, the molecular alignment is instantly fixed. The organized assembly of the liquid crystal elastomer interlayer boosts surface energy and nucleation density, facilitating the densification of perovskite films. Additionally, the neatly aligned liquid crystal structures maintain efficient charge collection while minimizing carrier recombination at the SnOâ‚‚/perovskite interface. As a result, the rigid devices achieved efficiencies of up to 23.26%, while flexible ones reached 22.10%. The liquid crystal elastomer interlayer plays a crucial role in mitigating phase segregation in the upper perovskite layer under prolonged illumination, enhancing the long-term operational stability of the cells (T80 > 1570 hours). Moreover, the elastomer layer releases residual stress between the electron transport layer and the perovskite layer through its ordered molecular arrangement, reducing overall stress within the ITO and perovskite film structure. This ensures the integrity of the entire device. The optimized flexible cells retain 86% of their initial efficiency even after 5,000 bending cycles. Furthermore, the team explored integrating this reliable solar cell into wearable tactile perception devices to create a pain-sensing system for virtual reality applications. This research, published in *Nature Communications* (2023, 14, 1204), was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Beijing National Research Center for Molecular Sciences, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Collaborators included the Institute of Chemistry and Jiangxi Normal University. Below is an image showcasing the wearable perovskite solar cell enhanced by liquid crystal elastomer toughening. [Image description: A photo of a flexible perovskite solar cell integrated into a wearable device, demonstrating its potential for practical use in electronics.] 

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