Researchers at Stanford University have created what they claim to be the first flexible, reusable decal-like solar panels that can attach to almost any surface. In other words, it is possible to attach these Thin-Film Solar Cells (TFSCs) to paper, plastic and glass without direct fabrication. The adhesive comes off with some room-temperature water.
Thin-film solar cells (TFSCs), such as hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H), cadmium telluride (CdTe) and copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS), are generally made with rigid silicon and glass structures to maintain their form, according to a paper by lead investigator Chi Hwan Lee, a mechanical engineering doctoral candidate, and the study’s contributors in the Dec. 20 issue of Scientific Reports.
While it was feasible for manufacturers to create solar cells on paper, textiles and rubber in the past, the strips were easily deformed in handling.
By fabricating “peel-and-stick” solar cells, the scientists have now made an attempt to broaden the uses of the thin-film photovoltaic cells. Authors have also suggested using the solar cells with portable power supplies, electronic smart clothing and aerospace systems.
“Since the peel-and-stick process does not require any fabrication on the final target substrate, it circumvents all the fabrication challenges associated with these non-conventional substrates discussed above. Importantly, the efficiency of the transferred TFSCs on any target substrate remains the same as the as-fabricated TFSCs on Si wafers,” mentioned Lee and his fellow researchers in their study. 
