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Flexible solar cells based on foldable silicon wafers with blunted edges

Author

Listed:
  • Wenzhu Liu

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Yujing Liu

    (Changsha University of Science and Technology)

  • Ziqiang Yang

    (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology)

  • Changqing Xu

    (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology)

  • Xiaodong Li

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Shenglei Huang

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences
    ShanghaiTech University)

  • Jianhua Shi

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences
    Tongwei Solar Company)

  • Junling Du

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences
    Tongwei Solar Company)

  • Anjun Han

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences
    Tongwei Solar Company)

  • Yuhao Yang

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Guoning Xu

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Jian Yu

    (Southwest Petroleum University)

  • Jiajia Ling

    (UISEE Technologies)

  • Jun Peng

    (Soochow University)

  • Liping Yu

    (Beihang University)

  • Bin Ding

    (Beihang University)

  • Yuan Gao

    (Beihang University)

  • Kai Jiang

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Zhenfei Li

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Yanchu Yang

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Zhaojie Li

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Shihu Lan

    (Tongwei Solar Company)

  • Haoxin Fu

    (Tongwei Solar Company)

  • Bin Fan

    (Tongwei Solar Company)

  • Yanyan Fu

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Wei He

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Fengrong Li

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Xin Song

    (Changzhou University)

  • Yinuo Zhou

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Qiang Shi

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Guangyuan Wang

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Lan Guo

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences
    ShanghaiTech University)

  • Jingxuan Kang

    (Leibniz Institut)

  • Xinbo Yang

    (Soochow University)

  • Dongdong Li

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Zhechao Wang

    (Polar Research Institute of China)

  • Jie Li

    (Polar Research Institute of China)

  • Sigurdur Thoroddsen

    (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology)

  • Rong Cai

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Fuhai Wei

    (Polar Research Institute of China)

  • Guoqiang Xing

    (Tongwei Solar Company)

  • Yi Xie

    (Tongwei Solar Company)

  • Xiaochun Liu

    (Changsha University of Science and Technology)

  • Liping Zhang

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
    Tongwei Solar Company)

  • Fanying Meng

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences
    Tongwei Solar Company)

  • Zengfeng Di

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Zhengxin Liu

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences
    Tongwei Solar Company)

Abstract

Flexible solar cells have a lot of market potential for application in photovoltaics integrated into buildings and wearable electronics because they are lightweight, shockproof and self-powered. Silicon solar cells have been successfully used in large power plants. However, despite the efforts made for more than 50 years, there has been no notable progress in the development of flexible silicon solar cells because of their rigidity1–4. Here we provide a strategy for fabricating large-scale, foldable silicon wafers and manufacturing flexible solar cells. A textured crystalline silicon wafer always starts to crack at the sharp channels between surface pyramids in the marginal region of the wafer. This fact enabled us to improve the flexibility of silicon wafers by blunting the pyramidal structure in the marginal regions. This edge-blunting technique enables commercial production of large-scale (>240 cm2), high-efficiency (>24%) silicon solar cells that can be rolled similarly to a sheet of paper. The cells retain 100% of their power conversion efficiency after 1,000 side-to-side bending cycles. After being assembled into large (>10,000 cm2) flexible modules, these cells retain 99.62% of their power after thermal cycling between −70 °C and 85 °C for 120 h. Furthermore, they retain 96.03% of their power after 20 min of exposure to air flow when attached to a soft gasbag, which models wind blowing during a violent storm.

Suggested Citation

  • Wenzhu Liu & Yujing Liu & Ziqiang Yang & Changqing Xu & Xiaodong Li & Shenglei Huang & Jianhua Shi & Junling Du & Anjun Han & Yuhao Yang & Guoning Xu & Jian Yu & Jiajia Ling & Jun Peng & Liping Yu & B, 2023. "Flexible solar cells based on foldable silicon wafers with blunted edges," Nature, Nature, vol. 617(7962), pages 717-723, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:617:y:2023:i:7962:d:10.1038_s41586-023-05921-z
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05921-z
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    Cited by:

    1. Taojian Wu & Zhaolang Liu & Hao Lin & Pingqi Gao & Wenzhong Shen, 2024. "Free-standing ultrathin silicon wafers and solar cells through edges reinforcement," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    2. Artem Musiienko & Fengjiu Yang & Thomas William Gries & Chiara Frasca & Dennis Friedrich & Amran Al-Ashouri & Elifnaz Sağlamkaya & Felix Lang & Danny Kojda & Yi-Teng Huang & Valerio Stacchini & Robert, 2024. "Resolving electron and hole transport properties in semiconductor materials by constant light-induced magneto transport," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    3. Deroubaix, Paul & Kobashi, Takuro & Gurriaran, Léna & Benkhelifa, Fouzi & Ciais, Philippe & Tanaka, Katsumasa, 2023. "SolarEV City Concept for Paris," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 350(C).

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