A flexible solar cell/supercapacitor integrated energy device

Both flexible energy harvesting and storage devices have been widely reported separately to satisfy part of the needs in the emerging areas, including wearable electronics, and low-density applications such as rooftop solar collectors. However, a flexible energy system with mechanical robustness and light-weight is the integrated device that will serve the real demand. Herein, a flexible printable dye-sensitized solar cell/supercapacitor integrated energy device has been designed, fabricated and characterized. This new device has several advantages: flexible, portable, high voltage capacity (up to 1.8 V), lightweight, environmental friendly and expanded indoor-use capabilities. The device demonstrated very stable performances under various extreme mechanical loading conditions in outdoor testing. This work paves way for future development of highly flexible integrated energy system for many potential applications.