High-performance, robust, stretchable organic photovoltaics using commercially available tape as a deformable substrate

•We constructed a stretchable OPV device using a ubiquitous material-3 M™ tape substrate.•The constructed stretchable OPV device displaying a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.2%-the highest reported to date.•The device retained 80% of its original PCE after 50 cycles of stretching at 20% strain.

Electronic skins and smart textiles are emerging applications integrating wearable displays, smart sensing systems, health-care monitors, and stretchable power systems. Although various deformable optoelectronic devices have been demonstrated, high-performance stretchable photovoltaic (PV) devices remain a significant challenge in device engineering and materials optimization. In this paper, we demonstrate how a ubiquitous material-3 M™ tape-can be used as a transparent substrate for highly efficient stretchable organic PV devices. Indeed, we constructed a stretchable OPV device displaying a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.2% (under AM 1.5G 1000 W m−2)-the highest reported to date; in addition, this device retained 80% of its original PCE after 50 cycles of stretching at 20% strain. This study paves the way toward fully deformable OPVs for integration in wearable electronics.

Graphical abstractWe fabricate a stretchable organic photovoltaic device displaying an efficiency (PCE) of 5.2% using a ubiquitous material-3 M™ tape substrate - the highest reported to date. The corresponding device have excellent mechanical stability-the device displays 80% of its original performance after 50 cycles at 20% tensile strain.Download high-res image (240KB)Download full-size image