
Dr. Yanfa Yan, professor of physics, with his perovskite solar cells which are able to increase the total electrical power generated by using two parts of the sun’s spectrum
Physicists in the U.S. jumped a major hurdle standing in the way of the commercialization of solar cells created with halide perovskites as a lower-cost, higher-efficiency replacement for silicon when generating electricity from the sun.
Published in the journal Science, the clean energy research led by The University of Toledo in collaboration with the University of Washington, University of Toronto, Northwestern University and Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology solved the problem with the durability of perovskite solar cells, taking the technology one step closer to powering solar panels in the consumer market.
“Perovskite solar cells offer a route to lowering the cost of solar electricity given their high power conversion efficiencies and low manufacturing cost,” said Dr. Yanfa Yan, UToledo Distinguished University Professor of physics and a member of the UToledo Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization. “However, we needed to strengthen the emerging solar cell technology’s endurance during outdoor operation.”
The technology needs to survive for decades outdoors in all kinds of weather and temperatures without corroding or breaking down.
“This challenge is no longer a roadblock to deploying the potential of perovskite solar cells,” Yan said. “Our breakthrough work improved device stability and presents ways of achieving success after a decade of research and development.”
The team discovered the ingredient that enhances adhesion and mechanical toughness.
Researchers experimentally demonstrated that perovskite solar cells treated with 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane (DPPP), a diphosphine Lewis base molecule, retained a high power conversion efficiency and exhibited superior durability after continuous operation under simulated sun illumination for more than 3,500 hours, or more than 145 days.
They used what is called one sun illumination, which is equivalent to outdoor sunlight.
“Phosphine-containing Lewis base molecules with two electron-donating atoms have a strong binding with the perovskite surface,” Yan said. “We saw the robust beneficial effects on perovskite film quality and device performance when we treated the perovskite solar cells with DPPP.”
“DPPP is also a commercialized product with low cost and easy accessibility, which make it suitable for the commercialization of perovskite solar cells,” said Dr. Zhaoning Song, a research assistant professor in Yan’s lab at UToledo and one of the authors on the new paper.
Researchers say the next step to move the technology forward is to employ their findings to make perovskite panels stable.
Dr. Chongwen Li, the first author of the study and a UToledo alumnus, worked with Yan as a graduate student. Li earned his Ph.D. in physics from UToledo in 2020. He is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Toronto.
“Continuing to exploit the potentiality in the stability of perovskite solar cells is a crucial priority for the ongoing decarbonization of the world’s economy,” Li said. “After the successful demonstration of DPPP on improving the stability of perovskite solar cells, we are further applying it to large area perovskite solar panels and moving the prototype device forward to commercialization.”
UToledo has been a trailblazer in solar energy research and development for more than 30 years.
It has been a decade since Yan’s team at UToledo identified the ideal properties of perovskites, compound materials with a special crystal structure formed through chemistry, and started to focus their efforts on bringing together two different solar cells to increase the total electrical power generated by using two different parts of the sun’s spectrum.
In November, a team of scientists from UToledo, the University of Toronto and Northwestern University collaborated to create an all-perovskite tandem solar cell with record-setting voltage. The research was published in the journal Nature.
Original Article: Physicists Solve Durability Issue in Next-Generation Solar Cells
More from: University of Toledo | University of Washington | University of Toronto | Northwestern University | Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology
The Latest Updates from Bing News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Perovskite solar cells
- 3 Solar Stocks to Buy Now or Regret Missing the Next Big Boom
With summertime finally, here, the northern hemisphere is hitting peak time for solar power generation. As nations work to meet their net-zero climate goals, solar power will become a greater and ...
- Perovskite solar cell based on Mortise-Tenon tech achieves 24.55% efficiency
Chinese researchers have used Mortise-Tenon technology to connect the perovskite absorber with the hole transport layer in a perovskite solar cell. They say that this reduces non-radiative ...
- Semitransparent perovskite solar cell with 11.6% efficiency
Italian scientists have used a titanium oxide sponge to successfully prevent lead leakage in a semitransparent solar cell. The device has demonstrated comparable efficiency to semi-transparent ...
- Fraunhofer ISE launches perovskite testing programme to reliably track efficiencies
Fraunhofer ISE has set up a testing apparatus for perovskite solar PV cells and modules, aiming to establish a reliable efficiency standard.
- Perovskite solar cells reach new milestones for stability and efficiency
KAUST postdoctoral fellow Esma Ugur displays the perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell that she and colleagues in the KAUST Photovoltaics Laboratory developed. It is currently the world’s most ...
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Perovskite solar cell durability
- Perovskite solar cell based on Mortise-Tenon tech achieves 24.55% efficiency
Chinese researchers have used Mortise-Tenon technology to connect the perovskite absorber with the hole transport layer in a perovskite solar cell. They say that this reduces non-radiative ...
- NASA to fund perovskite solar cell for space
A project to develop a halide perovskite solar cell for space by Oklahoma State University will receive a $750,000 grant from NASA. The grant will go toward efforts in exploring a fully Vacuum Thermal ...
- Perovskite solar cells reach new milestones for stability and efficiency
KAUST postdoctoral fellow Esma Ugur displays the perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell that she and colleagues in the KAUST Photovoltaics Laboratory developed. It is currently the world’s most ...
- Perovskite Solar Cells Push Bounds of Efficiency. Tapping Their Potential Will Be Challenging.
Solar-cell maker Oxford PV last week said its ... he said China is working on the same technology and concerns about the durability of perovskite have kept it from taking off.
- Perovskite Solar Cells Push Bounds of Efficiency. Tapping Their Potential Will Be Challenging.
So-called perovskite panels can boost electricity-conversion rates far beyond silicon alone, but they face obstacles to commercialization.