Publication date: 22nd July 2026
The surging demand for sustainable energy has accelerated the development of transparent photovoltaics (TPVs), expanding their utility from terrestrial surfaces to aquatic environments [1-2]. Here, we present the development and performance analysis of a transparent energy device based on advanced materials with high optical transmittance and efficient energy conversion capabilities. The fabricated device maintains excellent transparency while delivering significant energy output, demonstrating strong potential for integration into everyday surfaces such as glass façades and mobile displays. These findings highlight the promising future of transparent energy systems as a core technology for next-generation smart cities and zero-energy buildings.
Owing to their transparency and self-powered functionality, TPV devices offer expanded opportunities for diverse applications, including smart power transfer, healthcare, and sustainable bioelectronic systems. While conventional underwater photovoltaics suffer from poor light coupling, this work demonstrates a water-enhanced TPV module based on a wide-bandgap heterojunction designed for efficient submerged power generation [3,4,5]. In this configuration, the surrounding water medium passively acts as an optical concentrator, enhancing light coupling and widening the angular light-collection range. Beyond this passive mechanism, we introduce an active energy-harvesting route by tuning the polarity of the water-layer interface. This engineered interaction induces a robust, localized electric field that substantially enhances the light-reactive performance of the device. This innovative "underwater power window" provides a highly sustainable, self-powered energy solution tailored for marine sensing, communication, and deep-submerged applications.
[1] Mohan More, V.; Patel, M.; Cho, S.; Lee, J.; Cho, Y.; Kim, J. Hybrid Pyroelectric-Photovoltaic Devices for High-Efficiency Underwater Optoelectronics. Nano Energy 2026 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2026.112212)
[2] Patel, M.; Park, H.-H.; Bhatnagar, P.; Kumar, N.; Lee, J.; Kim, J. Transparent Integrated Pyroelectric-Photovoltaic Structure for Photo-Thermo Hybrid Power Generation. Nat. Commun. 2024, 15, 3466.
[3] Vo Thi, S.; Patel, M.; Lee, J.; Hossain, S.; Barno, M. A. R.; Kim, J. Water-Enabled Enhancement of Transparent Schottky Photodetectors. Nanoscale 2026, 18, 4712−4719.
[4] Patel, M.; Nguyen, T. T.; Park, H.-H.; Cho, S.; Yun, S.; Kumar, N.; Ghosh, S.; Kim, J. Transparent Underwater Power Windows: Enhanced Light Management and Harvesting with Water-Embedded Wide-Bandgap Heterojunction Photovoltaics for Sustainable Energy. Nano Energy 2025, 142, 111239.
[5] Patel, M.; Barno, M. A. R.; Barichello, J.; Vo Thi, S.; Cho, S.; Matteocci, F.; Di Carlo, A.; Wong, C.-P.; Kim, J. Water-Driven Photovoltaics: Enhancing Performance through Water Media in the Active Layer. Mater. Today Sustainability 2025, 31, 101158.
The authors acknowledge the financial support of National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government by the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT, RS-2024-0034883, RS-2026-25454679 and RS-2025-24533949).
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