Water-borne foldable polymer solar cells: one-step transferring free-standing polymer films onto woven fabric electrodes

In this paper, foldable polymer solar cells (PSCs) were fabricated on woven fabrics by a free-standing, wet transfer method. A new concept of ‘water-borne PSCs’ was proposed to show the ultra-stability of organic photoactive materials under extremely humid conditions and even in water. There were a series of particular designs in the fabrication process: (1) flexible conductive woven fabrics were fabricated by polymer-assisted metal deposition; (2) a free-standing, wet transfer method was applied to laminate an active layer and a top electrode onto the as-prepared fabric electrodes simultaneously; (3) an interface modification layer was formed by diffusing a dilute polymer solution through fibers. The best device performances were achieved for the PSC on fabric A with a power conversion efficiency almost equal to those of the conventional devices using the same active materials, which would enrich wearable electronics by utilizing more comfortable and flexible un-modified woven fabrics.