Photosupercapacitors: A perspective of planar and flexible dual functioning devices

Abstract

The development of technologies to convert solar energy and store it into a usable form of energy at a massive scale is a major thrust of research worldwide. Therefore, suitable energy storage options/devices are being sought after to store electrical energy generated by solar cells through harvesting solar radiation. The integration of solar energy converting device with supercapacitors (SCs) as a single device-called as photosupercapacitor, has great potential to power wearable and portable electronics. This dual functioning device stores the harvested energy electrochemically to provide an alternative source of power, may address the pressing issues for storage of the generated electrical energy. Different configurations to integrate solar cells and storage devices are being explored, and the integration of solar cells, particularly third-generation, with SCs can provide high-power conversion efficiencies. Nonetheless, the exploration of flexible electronics to meet the demand for wearable devices that operate continuously without an external power supply is highly desired. In this article, we have thoroughly discussed the developments of integrated devices based on third-generation planar and flexible solar devices, which include: dye-sensitized, quantum dot sensitized, organic, perovskite using SCs as energy-storage devices. Besides, the emphasis is also given on integrated flexible or wearable systems as self-charging and self-powered integrated systems. The present perplexing issues and their research perspectives are also elaborated to stimulate the advancement of such integrated devices in the upcoming years. This article is categorized under: Fuel Cells and Hydrogen > Science and Materials Photovoltaics > Science and Materials Energy Research and Innovation > Science and Materials