This is essentially a super-thin solar energy “coating” that can turn phone cases or electric vehicles into mini power generators.
This type of battery is 150 times thinner than existing silicon solar panels. (Illustrative image).
This solar battery is quite flexible. The product was invented by the University of Oxford in the UK and certified by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan. This battery is 150 times thinner than existing silicon solar panels.
To create this super-thin layer, researchers developed a new photovoltaic material that is over 1 micrometer (0.001 mm) thick, derived from perovskite structures.
These crystal structures are a synthetic version of natural calcium titanate, which is inexpensive to produce both in experiments and in mass production. One of the drawbacks of perovskite materials is their tendency to degrade and break when exposed to air.
However, researchers overcame this by creating a multilayer perovskite structure through a multi-point method, combining several light-sensitive layers corresponding to different light wavelengths to enhance sensitivity.
The result is a new film that is both thin and has a solar energy conversion efficiency of up to 27%, compared to the current market silicon batteries (which only have 22%).
According to the research team, in the future, perovskite could help solar panels surpass an efficiency level of 45% – a limit established based on current physical knowledge and methods.
This technology could generate electricity even in very low light conditions, making it suitable for personal electronic devices or transportation vehicles such as electric cars, providing on-site power for their operation.
