Water-resistant hybrid perovskite solar cell -- drop triboelectric energy harvester

TL;DR

This paper introduces a water-resistant, multifunctional encapsulation layer for hybrid perovskite solar cells combined with triboelectric nanogenerators, enabling durable, dual-energy harvesting from solar and rain sources.

Contribution

The study develops a plasma-deposited fluorinated polymer layer that protects perovskite solar cells and enhances triboelectric performance, facilitating stable hybrid energy harvesting under humid conditions.

Findings

Encapsulated PSCs maintained >17.9% efficiency in high humidity.

Hybrid device retained 80% performance after 300 hours of humid operation.

Achieved 11.6 mA/cm2 current and 12 V voltage from raindrops.

Abstract

Hybrid energy-harvesting systems combining perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with drop-driven triboelectric nanogenerators (D-TENGs) provide continuous power under various weather conditions. However, halide perovskites' vulnerability to moisture hampers widespread use. We present plasma-deposited fluorinated polymers (CFX) as multifunctional encapsulation layers offering water resistance, triboelectric functionality, and > 90 % optical transparency. These conformal, room-temperature, solvent-free coatings protect PSCs without reducing performance; encapsulated cells maintained a PCE of 17.9 %, and devices kept over 50 % of initial PCE after 10 days in high humidity and temperature. CFx layers also enabled compatibility with UV-curable resins, creating a hybrid PSC/D-TENG capable of harvesting solar and rain energy. This device retained 80 % of its performance after 300 hours of humid operation and stayed stable under continuous dripping and illumination for over 5 hours. Optimizing CFx's chemical composition improved triboelectric performance. Using the same CFx layer for encapsulation and triboelectric function, the device achieved 11.6 mA/cm2 short-circuit current under 0.5 sun and 12 V peak voltage per raindrop, enabling simultaneous solar and rain energy harvesting. A self-charging prototype powered LED arrays via a boost converter, demonstrating practical multisource energy harvesting.