Reviewed by Lexie CornerDec 11 2024
A research team from the Energy & Environment Materials Research Division, led by Drs. Dong-Chan Lim and So-Yeon Kim, have created a next-generation thin-film material technology that substantially improves the longevity of energy and electronic devices. This research was published in the Chemical Engineering Journal.
The film-based rollable solar cell/optical sensor device developed by the research team maintained high efficiency even after undergoing 5,000 cycles of repetitive stress testing. Image Credit: Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS)
This technique can be used for film-based solar cells and sensors. It creates a dual-layer structure by combining organic and inorganic components. It is also notable for its ability to improve mechanical durability by reducing the physical stress caused by rolling or unrolling.
Conventional energy and electronic devices are often prone to defects during roll-to-roll production processes or in rollable consumption situations. These issues are particularly evident in thin-film materials containing layered heterogeneous components, which are susceptible to delamination (interlayer separation).
To address these concerns, the research team developed a unique interfacial thin-film material and successfully overcame mechanical durability issues that had previously led to manufacturing failures.
The researchers created a new thin-film material by covering mechanically flexible organic components with mechanically strong inorganic elements. This material allows flexible devices to withstand physical and chemical stresses found in various situations. When used as an interfacial layer between transparent electrodes and active layers in applications such as solar cells and displays, the material improves bonding properties while also enhancing mechanical and chemical resilience.
The project’s lead, Dr. Dong-Chan Lim, highlighted the wide practical potential of this innovation.
This technology not only significantly improves production yields in roll-to-roll manufacturing processes using film-based flexible substrates but is also applicable to diverse downstream industries such as energy, displays, and robotics. It is a key technology that can increase the localization rate of core materials and components, thereby strengthening the competitiveness of critical industries.
Dr. Dong-Chan Lim, Korea Institute of Materials Science
This study was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea’s Fundamental Technology Development Program (STEAM Research Program) and the Nano and Materials Technology Development Program (Platform-Type National Core Material Research Group), as well as KIMS’ fundamental research initiatives.
Journal Reference:
Wardani, N. K. et. al. (2024) Enhancing physicochemical durability and photoelectronic performance beyond bendable large-area organic photoelectronic devices through tailored multilayer interface. Chemical Engineering Journal. doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2024.157958