Charging Characteristics of Lithium Ion Battery Using Semi-Solar Modules of Polymer:Fullerene Solar Cells

Abstract

Abstract:The combination of lithium ion battery (LIB) and organic (polymer) solar cells is expected to deliver versatile self-rechargeable portable energy sources, but less attention has been paid to the charging characteristics of LIB-using polymer solar cells. Here we demonstrate that the LIB packs, which were prepared by using lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO 2 ) and graphite as a cathode and an anode, respectively, can be effectively charged by semi-solar modules of polymer:fullerene solar cells, of which bulk heterojunction (BHJ) layers are composed of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC 61 BM). Results showed that the performance of semi-solar modules was not much degraded by connecting four single solar cells in series or in parallel, but their output power density was noticeably reduced by extending the number of single cells up to eight. The charging test disclosed that the output current density is of importance to speed up the LIB charging at the same output voltage.

The Potential of Solar Energy as a Driver of Regional Development - Challenges and Opportunities

“…The significant increase in academic and professional research in this area points to many noteworthy possibilities (more on this can be found in research by, e.g. Akinyele et al, 2017, Song et al, 2017, Podder and Khan, 2016, and Gurung and Qiao, 2018, who wrote about the key advantages and disadvantages of batteries). What are the advantages of such a system?…”