PhD student and lead author Frederick Nitta, Koosha Nassiri Nazif, PhD, and Professor Eric Pop recently published their paper, 'Transition metal dichalcogenide solar cells for indoor energy harvesting’ in Device. 

They investigated the potential of transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) solar cells for light harvesting in indoor environments and found that these devices offer the highest potential compared to other cell technologies.

TMDs are two-dimensional materials with remarkable semiconducting properties and high optical absorption coefficients. This makes them suitable for the production of semi-transparent and flexible solar cells with potential applications in aerospace, architecture, electric vehicles, and wearable electronics, where light weight, a high power-per-weight ratio, and flexibility are very desirable.

“Our work evaluates the potential of transition TMD solar cells for powering indoor IoT devices,” the research's lead author, Frederick Nitta, told pv magazine. “It shows that TMD solar cells can outperform commercial indoor photovoltaics under various lighting conditions. Our study highlights that improving material quality and optimizing designs are key to unlocking higher efficiencies. Overall, TMD solar cells could offer a practical, sustainable energy solution for the expanding IoT ecosystem.”

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“We find that [transition metal dichalcogenide] TMD solar cells can outperform existing indoor PV technologies, with power conversion efficiency limits up to 36.5% under fluorescent, 35.6% under LED, 11.2% under halogen, and 27.6% under low-light AM 1.5 G lighting at 500 lux,” the scientists stated. “With today’s material quality, TMD solar cells can achieve up to 23.5% under fluorescent, 23.5% under LED, 5.9% under halogen, and 16.3% under low-light AM 1.5 G lighting at 500 lux.”

They concluded that TMD PV devices have the potential to outperform other commercial indoor photovoltaic technologies. “Future work will need to focus on further refining the electrical and optical designs of TMD solar cells to fully capitalize on their high-efficiency potential and adapt them for broader commercial applications,” they said.

Excerpted from ‘Indoor transition metal dichalcogenide solar cells may reach 36.5% efficiency'