ABSTRACT
Graphene, along with its derivatives, is pioneered among the family of two-dimensional nanomaterials, which is composed of an atomic crystalline single layer with outstanding and unique properties that make it a rising star material to be implemented in photovoltaic (PV) technology. Graphene has been acknowledged as an ideal option for integration with PV materials and has played a multi-functional role in PV devices, including a transparent conductive electrode, charges transport medium, and interfacial layer. Graphene and its derivatives are also widely explored in the passivation and encapsulation method, especially in the emerging thin-film PV technology. Besides, graphene also plays a unique function in protecting PV devices from environmental deterioration because of its two-dimensional honeycomb network structure, enabling long-term device protection to yield high efficiency and stability for PV devices. Flexible and thinner PV devices may function at the varied bending radius and exhibit no deterioration in device performance during bending testing thanks to graphene electrodes’ excellent bending endurance. This outstanding achievement of graphene lays the path for a bright future of graphene-based flexible PV applications.
