Ultra-thin flexible solar cells to power e-wearables

Scientists have developed new solar cells thinner than human hair and flexible enough to wrap around a pencil, that could power wearable electronics like fitness trackers and smart glasses. The thin cells can be integrated onto frames of glasses or fabric and might power the next wave of wearable electronics.

                “Our photovoltaic is about 1 micrometer thick,” said Jongho Lee, an engineer at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, South Korea. One micrometer is much thinner than an average human hair. Standard photovoltaic are usually hundreds of times thicker, and even most other thin photovoltaics are 2 to 4 times thicker. The researchers made the ultra-thin solar cells from the semiconductor gallium arsenide.

                The researchers tested the efficiency of the device at converting sunlight to electricity and found that it was comparable to similar thicker photovoltaics. They performed bending tests and found the cells could wrap around a radius as small as 1.4mm.