Integrating Light Diffusion and Conversion Layers for Highly Efficient Multicolored Fiber-Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

Fiber solar cells as promising wearable power supplies have attracted increasing attentions recently, while further breakthrough on their power conversion efficiency (PCE) and realization of multicolored appearances remain urgent needs particularly in real-world applications. Here, a fiber-dye-sensitized solar cell (FDSSC) integrated with a light diffusion layer composed of alumina/polyurethane film on the outmost encapsulating tube and a light conversion layer made from phosphors/TiO2/poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) film on the inner counter electrode is designed. The incident light is diffused to more surfaces of fiber electrodes, then converted on counter electrode and reflected to neighboring photoanode, so the FDSSC efficiently takes advantage of the fiber shape for remarkably enhanced light harvesting, producing a record PCE of 13.11%. These efficient FDSSCs also realize color-tunable appearances, improving their designability and compatibility with textiles. They are further integrated with fiber batteries as power systems, providing a power solution for wearables and emerging smart textiles.