Yongping Fu

Integrated power fiber for energy conversion and storage

A new type of integrated power fiber that incorporates a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) and a supercapacitor (SC), which can be used for energy conversation and storage, was introduced for the first time. A stainless steel wire coated with polyaniline via anodic deposition is jointly used as the electrode of the fiber DSSC and fiber SC. The overall energy conversion efficiency of the integrated power fiber is as high as 2.1%. Compared with traditional integrated power systems, our integrated power fiber is lightweight, flexible, inexpensive, suitable for special applications, and capable of integrating with cloth.

Flexible planar/fiber-architectured supercapacitors for wearable energy storage

With the emergence of flexible/stretchable electronic devices, flexible supercapacitors (SCs) have attracted widespread interest in developing lightweight, thin, elastic and efficient portable/wearable energy storage devices that show promising applications in hybrid electric vehicles, uninterruptible power supplies and “smart textiles”. Along with a brief description on the general information about flexible SCs, this feature article focuses on recent advances in flexible SCs including the planar-structured flexible SCs and the new-type fiber SCs as well as fiber integrated/hybrid energy systems containing fiber SCs. The construction of efficient active materials on flexible substrates (e.g. plastics, papers, fabrics/textiles, fibrous substrates, etc.) and feasible strategies to achieve high-performance flexible SCs are highlighted. Perspectives on the research trends of flexible SCs toward practical applications are proposed.

Transparent conductive oxide-less, flexible, and highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells with commercialized carbon fiber as the counter electrode

TCO-less, flexible and highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells are fabricated with commercialized carbon fiber as the counter electrode. 5.8% of conversion efficiency was obtained via modification of the conductivity and catalytic performance of carbon fiber.

Conjunction of fiber solar cells with groovy micro-reflectors as highly efficient energy harvesters

Solar cells are the most effective approach for sustainable energy to meet the worlds increasing needs in energy. However, their large-scale applications have been limited by low cost performance, supply of raw materials, complex preparation processes and the possible pollutions produced during processing. Here we introduce a novel fiber solar cell housed in a simple and low-cost parabolic-shape reflector, which can effectively capture diffuse light from all directions. The maximum efficiency of the fiber based dye-sensitized solar cells alone reached 7.02%. Furthermore, the maximum power output was enhanced by a factor of two and five, respectively, when the fiber was in conjunction with a diffuse reflector or a micro-light concentrating groove.

Influence of Electrolyte Refreshing on the Photoelectrochemical Performance of Fiber-Shaped Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Given the convenient sealing of fiber-shaped dye-sensitized solar cells (FDSSCs), the electrolyte refreshing effect on the photo-electrochemical performance of FDSSCs was studied. The electron transport and interfacial recombination kinetics were also systematically investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. With increased electrolyte refreshing times from 0 to 10, the open-circuit voltage (Voc) and fill factor (FF) increased, whereas the photocurrent density (Jsc) and power conversion efficiency (PCE) significantly decreased. The increased Voc was mainly ascribed to the electron recombination resistance (Rct, WE) at the TiO2/electrolyte interface and electron lifetime. The decreased Jsc and PCE were due to dye desorption and the increase of series resistance. Further investigation proved that Li