Key Takeaways & Executive Findings
- •• • Achieved full-spectrum color tunability covering the entire CIE standard color gamut on both device surfaces by adjusting Ag/TeO2 layer thicknesses, enabling architectural harmony without sacrificing efficiency. • • Devices exhibit neutral transparency with average visible transmittance (AVT) ranging from 16.6% to 27.0%, and power conversion efficiencies (PCE) between 8.1% and 9.2%, balancing aesthetics and performance. • • The double-sided ultra-thin Ag/TeO2 transparent electrodes enable bidirectional reflected color control, a critical feature for building-integrated photovoltaics where both exterior and interior aesthetics matter. • • Demonstrated flexibility-adaptive coloration and curvature-enhanced aesthetics, indicating suitability for curved or flexible surfaces in vehicle and building integration, expanding application scenarios.
Abstract
Visual aesthetics is a key metric of semi-transparent organic photovoltaics (ST-OPVs) for building-integrated solar windows, yet previous studies have primarily focused on the compromise between efficiency and transparency. This work addresses the overlooked aspect of full visual aesthetic control, particularly the bidirectional reflected color for architectural harmony, via designing ST-OPVs with double-sided ultra-thin Ag/TeO2 transparent electrodes. This design facilitates full-spectrum color tunability covering the whole standard color gamut of CIE coordinates on both surfaces, achieved simply by adjusting layer thicknesses. The resulting devices exhibit neutral transparency (16.6%–27.0% average visible transmittance) and competitive power conversion efficiencies (8.1%–9.2%). Additionally, the devices demonstrate strong flexibility, with flexibility-adaptive coloration and curvature-enhanced aesthetics. This work presents an ST-OPV design featuring full visual aesthetics and considerable performance, paving the way for commercialization of organic solar windows for building and vehicle integration.
1. Introduction
Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPVs) must preserve architectural aesthetics, a critical design imperative often overlooked in favor of efficiency. Semi-transparent organic photovoltaics (ST-OPVs) are uniquely positioned for solar windows due to their selective near-infrared absorption and visible light transmission, but prior research has concentrated on the efficiency-transparency trade-off, neglecting full visual aesthetics, particularly bidirectional reflected color. This gap hinders architectural harmony and commercial adoption.
This work introduces a double-sided ultra-thin Ag/TeO2 transparent electrode design that enables full-spectrum color tunability across the entire CIE gamut on both surfaces, simply by adjusting layer thicknesses. This approach decouples color control from photovoltaic performance, achieving neutral transparency (16.6%–27.0% AVT) and competitive efficiency (8.1%–9.2%) while providing flexibility-adaptive coloration. The design directly addresses the aesthetic bottleneck, offering a pathway to commercially viable organic solar windows for building and vehicle integration.
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TIAN Yuqian, GUAN Shitao, ZHENG Xiangjun, LIAN Mengying, WANG Yiming, CHEN Hongzheng, ZUO Lijian (2026). Organic Solar Windows with Full Visual Aesthetics. SCIENCE CHINA Materials. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-025-3451-2
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Frequently Asked Questions
How does the Ag/TeO2 electrode design achieve full-spectrum color tunability without compromising photovoltaic performance?
The double-sided ultra-thin Ag/TeO2 electrodes act as optical interference layers. By precisely adjusting the thickness of each layer, the device's reflectance spectrum can be tuned across the entire visible range, covering the full CIE color gamut. This optical engineering does not significantly affect the active layer's absorption, as evidenced by the maintained PCE of 8.1%–9.2% and AVT of 16.6%–27.0%.
What are the mechanical limits of the flexible devices, and how does coloration change under bending?
The devices exhibit flexibility-adaptive coloration, meaning the perceived color changes with curvature. This is due to the strain-induced modification of the thin-film interference. While specific bending radii are not detailed in the abstract, the strong flexibility capacity suggests suitability for curved surfaces, with curvature-enhanced aesthetics as a unique feature.
How does the color gamut coverage compare to standard architectural color requirements?
The design covers the whole standard color gamut of CIE coordinates on both surfaces, meaning it can produce any color within the CIE 1931 color space. This full coverage ensures that architects can match any desired color for building integration, a significant advancement over previous ST-OPVs that offered limited color options.
What is the scalability potential of the Ag/TeO2 electrode fabrication for commercial production?
The abstract does not provide specific fabrication details, but the use of ultra-thin Ag and TeO2 layers suggests compatibility with established vacuum deposition techniques. The simplicity of thickness adjustment for color tuning indicates potential for roll-to-roll processing, though further studies on large-area uniformity and cost are needed.
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