Flexible and Transparent Electronics for Solar Energy, Sensing and Wearable Devices
This community develops thin-film materials and devices that are flexible, transparent, and conductive, primarily for organic photovoltaics, flexible electronics, and wearable sensors.
The research focuses on the integration of organic semiconductors, metal oxides, and conductive polymers into thin-film architectures. Key recurring materials include indium tin oxide, zinc oxide, and silver nanowires, which form the basis of transparent electrodes and thin-film transistors. A substantial portion of the work addresses organic solar cells, specifically optimizing non-fullerene acceptors and polymer blends to improve efficiency and stability. Simultaneously, the community develops flexible and stretchable substrates for strain, pressure, and physiological sensors, often utilizing hydrogels or liquid metals to enable wearable electronics that monitor health metrics or interact with soft environments.
The largest share of the community's output is found in indium research, accounting for 12.5% of all indium research, and 16,661 papers here. Tin research follows with a 10.0% share and 15,409 papers. Zinc research represents a 2.6% share with 6,938 papers.
The community comprises 59,531 papers, published most frequently in Thin Solid Films, Applied Physics Letters, and ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
Recent work continues to refine organic solar cell efficiency through molecular design and interlayer engineering, while also advancing the development of robust, biodegradable, and stretchable hydrogel electrodes for long-term ambulatory health monitoring and multimodal sensing in electronic textiles.