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arXiv · 2407.07581

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

Fernando Nunez-Galvez·Xabier Garcia-Casas·Lidia Contreras Bernal·Alejandro Descalzo·Jose Manuel Obrero-Perez·javier Castillo-Seoane·Antonio Gines·Gildas Leger·Juan Carlos Sanchez-Lopez·Juan Pedro Espinos·Angel Barranco·Ana Borras·Juan Ramon Sanchez-Valencia·Carmen Lopez-Santos
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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.

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Fernando Nunez-Galvez, Xabier Garcia-Casas, Lidia Contreras Bernal, Alejandro Descalzo, Jose Manuel Obrero-Perez, javier Castillo-Seoane, Antonio Gines, Gildas Leger, Juan Carlos Sanchez-Lopez, Juan Pedro Espinos, Angel Barranco, Ana Borras, Juan Ramon Sanchez-Valencia, Carmen Lopez-Santos. 2024-07-10. Water-resistant hybrid perovskite solar cell -- drop triboelectric energy harvester. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2025.111678

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