Making use of flexible organic solar cells in the stratosphere

• Near-space aircraft and pseudo high-altitude satellites in the stratosphere have a wide application in environmental monitoring, catastrophe relief as well as reduction, agricultural and also forestry surveillance, resource expedition, as well as interaction. Solar power is the most effective power resource for near-space aircraft as well as pseudo high-altitude satellites.

Unlike in the world, solar panels for space application need to have a high power-per-weight ratio with excellent integrity in the stratosphere environment, which are necessary to lower the total weight of the power system and subsequently enhance the haul and also endurance of the aircraft.

In contrast with the fully grown solar cell technologies, the emerging nano-thin film solar cells, including organic solar cells and perovskite solar cells are very appealing for aerospace applications because of the attributes of high power-per-weight ratio as well as excellent flexibility that is originating from the ultrathin layered structure.

Though conceptual proof of the performance in the stratosphere and satellite altitudes were accomplished using high elevation balloons or a rocket trip, specifically, no research on in-situ performance and also stability test of the large-area flexible organic solar cells (FOSCs) in the stratosphere environment was reported

Scientists from Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech as well as Nano-Bionics as well as Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Center for Nanoscience as well as Technology, discovered the in-situ performance and also security of large-area FOSCs in the 35 km stratosphere environment by a high-altitude balloon.

The non-fullerene flexible organic solar cells with a cell location of 0.64 cm2 were made via a solution-processed route with gravure-printed PET/AgNWs as electrodes. Low-temperature performance, thermal cycling in addition to UV-illumination examinations in the lab were performed to review the performance of FOSCs under the simulated condition.

Better, in-situ measurement results revealed the FOSCs provided the highest power density of 15.26 mW/cm2 and efficiency of 11.16% at 35 kilometres under irradiation of AM0, representing a power-per-weight ratio of 3.32 kW/kg. Furthermore, the flexible organic solar cells maintained steady over 3-hour continual flying at 35 kilometres. These results are of great significance for the space solar cells and also reveal the possibility of large-area FOSCs for space use.

The searchings for are published in the journal National Science Review.