Software
Communications
Lighting
Electrical/Electronics
RF & Microwave Electronics
Semiconductors & ICs
Energy
Photonics/Optics
Imaging
Motion Control
Robotics, Automation & Control
Test & Measurement
Sensors/Data Acquisition
Manufacturing & Prototyping
Materials & Coatings
Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Propulsion
Transportation
Automotive
Current Issue
Magazine Archives
Florida International University engineers developed SOLED, a thin device combining solar cells and LEDs.
SOLED generates electricity from sunlight and emits light to reduce soldiers’ heavy battery loads.
Using perovskite, the flexible device achieves competitive energy conversion efficiency for wearable applications.
Stemming from ongoing research, and on the heels of a $10 million grant from the Department of War, a team of Florida International University (FIU) engineers is continuing work to make soldiers’ equipment lighter with “SOLED,” a dual-use, razor-thin solar device that can harvest sunlight to generate electricity and then also produce light.
“Our goal is to improve the efficiency of both functions while addressing one of the major challenges in translating laboratory discoveries into practical technologies: scalability,” said Dr. Daniela Radu, Lead Researcher, Chair, Department of Mechanical and Materials within FIU’s College of Engineering & Computing. “Our motivation was both scientific and practical. We wanted to move beyond the proof-of-concept toward developing larger, more efficient, multifunctional devices that could eventually be integrated into real-world products, reducing the weight, complexity, and number of components required for energy generation and illumination.”
SOLED — a SOlar cell and a light-emitting diode (LED) combined into a single device — aims to ameliorate the upward of 20 lbs of batteries soldiers must carry to power communications equipment and other electronics on missions.
The device can be stitched onto a soldier’s uniform or gear and eliminates the need for a generator, including the heat and bulk it creates.
“Essentially, we have a single device that can work in two ways: light in, electricity out; electricity in, light out,” said Radu. “When sunlight reaches the device, the semiconductor absorbs that energy and converts it into electricity, just like any other solar cell. The remarkable part is that this process can also work in reverse. When we apply electricity to the same device, the semiconductor emits light, much like an LED light bulb. The perovskite semiconductor has this intrinsic property, so it can efficiently interact with light in both directions,” added Radu.
It could also enable new kinds of displays, sensors, and other optoelectronic devices, giving warfighters greater flexibility in a contested logistics environment when supply routes are threatened.
The device is built with a versatile semiconductor material — perovskite — that converts sunlight to electricity at up to 22 percent efficiency, competitive with commercial solar technology, at about 20-23 percent these days, according to Radu. Run in reverse, it can emit light at nearly 11 percent efficiency, a significant jump over earlier versions of the technology.
The light itself isn’t bright to the naked eye. With peak emission at 818 nanometers, just past the edge of visible light, it appears as a pink glow. However, that’s still useful: Night-vision sensors, biometric scanners, and medical imaging equipment all read wavelengths like this one. The team is currently working to make the panels visibly brighter.
“Achieving high performance in both operating modes is particularly challenging because the same semiconductor structure must efficiently convert light into electricity and electricity into light,” Radu noted. “Most important is the progress beyond the smaller laboratory-scale devices typically a small pixel, demonstrating devices with areas exceeding 5 cm2 (.78 square inch). This is an important advancement because increasing device size while preserving efficiency is essential for practical applications.”
The team’s next steps are three-fold: increasing functional device area, improving efficiency, and optimizing the manufacturing approaches to eventually support a deployable product.
With regards to processing, Radu said, the team works on improving its spray-coating techniques, which are cost-effective alternatives to conventional semiconductor manufacturing processes. They’re also exploring ways to improve overall device stability and reliability under realistic conditions, including variations in temperature, humidity, and illumination.
INNOVATORS: Dr. Daniela Radu, Lead Researcher, Chair, Department of Mechanical and Materials, FIU’s College of Engineering & Computing.
INNOVATION: A solar cell and a light-emitting diode combined into a single device.
IMPACT: Reduce soldiers’ reliance on heavy batteries and generators by turning uniforms and gear into lightweight, wearable power sources.
“Looking further ahead, we envision SOLED technology integrated into lightweight, flexible systems for wearable electronics, portable power generation, sensing, and illumination,” Radu noted. “The overarching objective is to move beyond the prototype to reliable devices that can be manufactured at larger scales and integrated into useful products.”
The research builds on the possibility of combining myriad functions within the same device, with emphasis on making the technology efficient, scalable, and practical. According to Radu, this could be especially valuable in applications where every gram of weight, every square centimeter of space, and every watt of energy matters. In this line, whether it is a deployed soldier in an isolated location, a rescue mission in harsh conditions, or an astronaut in space, a lunar landing, this technology could support both energy generation and illumination during an extended mission.
This article was written by Andrew Corselli, Digital Content Editor, SAE Media Group. For more information, visit here .
How a Simple Separator Upgrade Supercharges Battery Speeds
How Mass-Produced Drones Are Changing the Economics of Air Defense
New Robot Hops Over Obstacles Using Snapping Elastic Rods
How Much Do You Know About the History of Boeing’s 737 Jet?
New Graphene Soft Lens Reimagines Camera Focus
How Robots Are Revolutionizing Hernia Surgery
AI-Powered Counter-UAS: Scaling Affordable Drone Defense Technology and Manufacturing
Reducing Fitting Complexity in DOT Air Brake Systems
Automatic Transfer Switch Selection: Critical Design and Application Considerations
New PDN Validation Tools for Reducing Uncertainty in AI Data Center Design
An Introduction to Battery Failure Analysis
Overcoming Signal Disruption: Modern RF Design Approaches
About
Medical Design Briefs
Mobility Engineering Technology
Service Status
By submitting your personal information, you agree that SAE Media Group and carefully selected industry sponsors of this content may contact you and that you have read and agree to the Privacy Policy.
You may reach us at privacy@saemediagroup.com.
You may unsubscribe at any time.
Subscriber Services
Feedback
Contact Us
Site Map
Advertise
Privacy Policy
Cookie Usage
© 2009-2026 SAE Media Group
