PRICELESS · Printable Indoor Carbon-based Lead-free Perovskite Photocapacitors

The Internet of Things (IoT) is growing fast, projections estimating over 41 billion devices by 2030, but faces a major energy challenge. Most IoT devices still depend on disposable batteries, leading to environmental and economic concern. Replacing them often generates huge amounts of waste, an estimated 78 million batteries thrown away daily by 2025. Indoor photovoltaics (PV) offer a cleaner option, but current systems only work when light is available and need additional power management, making them less practical for autonomous IoT applications. PRICELESS (printable indoor carbon-based lead-free perovskite photocapacitors) tackles this by developing devices that both harvest and store indoor light in one printable stack. The approach combines lead-free perovskite-inspired materials (PIMs) with sustainable carbon supercapacitors (SC), avoiding external power electronics while keeping the process environmentally safe. The project has three goals: (i) making high-performance lead-free indoor PV cells using triple carbon architectures; building eco-friendly SC with bio-based binders and green solvents; and integrating them into self-rechargeable photocapacitors (PC) that can power IoT sensors without batteries. Alongside testing, the project will also set protocols for PC characterization and show a real-world battery-free IoT demonstrator. PRICELESS aims to a future less dependent on disposable batteries, supporting Europe’s digital transition and environmental goals. The research will take place at Tampere University under Prof. Paola Vivo, an expert in PIMs development and indoor PV, with industrial training at Solaronix SA for ink formulation and scalable manufacturing. This fellowship will push forward sustainable energy technologies and lay the groundwork for my independent research career in next-generation energy harvesting and storage.