Indoor photovoltaics, The Next Big Trend in solution‐processed solar cells

Abstract

Abstract Indoor photovoltaics (IPVs) have attracted considerable interest for their potential to power small and portable electronics and photonic devices. The recent advancemes in circuit design and device optimizations has led to the power required to operate electronics for the internet of things (IoT), such as distributed sensors, remote actuators, and communication devices, being remarkably reduced. Therefore, various types of sensors and a large number of nodes can be wireless or even batteryless powered by IPVs. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the recent developments in IPVs. We primarily focus on third‐generation solution‐processed solar cell technologies, which include organic solar cells, dye‐sensitized solar cells, perovskite solar cells, and newly developed colloidal quantum dot indoor solar cells. Besides, the device design principles are also discussed in relation to the unique characteristics of indoor lighting conditions. Challenges and prospects for the development of IPV are also summarized, which, hopefully, can lead to a better understanding of future IPV design as well as performance enhancement.

Keywords

• dye‐sensitized solar cells
• indoor photovoltaics
• organic solar cells
• perovskite solar cells
• quantum dot solar cells