Progress in Flexible Perovskite Solar Cells: Paving the Way for Scalable Manufacturing

Abstract

The urgency for a sustainable mitigation of the environmental impacts caused by climate change highlights the importance of renewable energy technologies to fight this challenge. Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) emerge as a promising alternative to traditional photovoltaic (PV) technologies due to their unprecedented increase in efficiency (currently peaking at 26.95%) and long-term stability proven by the successful completion of industry relevant International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) testing standards. Flexible PSCs (f-PSCs) offer significant advantages such as lightweight and high power-per-weight ratio, mechanical flexibility, and a high throughput roll-to-roll (R2R) manufacturing. These make f-PSCs ideal for implementation in various applications areas, such as wearable electronics, portable devices, space PV, building- or automotive-integrated PVs, and more. Notably, efficiencies over 23% now mark a significant milestone for f-PSCs, demonstrating their competitiveness with traditional rigid solar panels. This review explores breakthroughs in f-PSCs, focusing on flexible substrates, electrode materials, perovskite inks, and encapsulation strategies. It also covers recent advancements and studies of f-PSCs fabricated by scalable deposition methods and emphasizes the importance of interfacial engineering and encapsulation in enhancing stability and durability. The review concludes with a summary of key findings, remaining challenges, and perspectives for the successful market uptake of f-PSCs.