A new dipping process using a sulfolane additive creates high-performing perovskite solar cells. The method is inexpensive and well-suited for scaling up to commercial production.
Sulfolane-additive process yields easy fabrication, low cost, top performance, long operating life
A new, simpler solution for fabricating stable perovskite solar cells overcomes the key bottleneck to large-scale production and commercialization of this promising renewable-energy technology, which has remained tantalizingly out of reach for more than a decade.
“Our work paves the way for low-cost, high-throughput commercial-scale production of large-scale solar modules in the near future,” said Wanyi Nie, a research scientist fellow in the Center of Integrated Nanotechnologies. Nie is the corresponding author of the paper, which was published today in the journal Joule. “We were able to demonstrate the approach through two mini-modules that reached champion levels of converting sunlight to power with greatly extended operational lifetimes. Since this process is facile and low cost, we believe it can be easily adapted to scalable fabrication in industrial settings.”
A highly anticipated solar technology
Perovskite photovoltaics, seen as a viable competitor to the familiar silicon-based photovoltaics on the market for decades, have been a highly anticipated emerging technology over the last decade. Commercialization has been stymied by the lack of a solution to the field’s grand challenge: scaling up production of high-efficiency perovskite solar cell modules from the bench-top to the factory floor.
The team, in collaboration with researchers from National Taiwan University (NTU), invented a one-step spin coating method by introducing sulfolane as an additive in the perovskite precursor, or the liquid material that creates the perovskite crystal through a chemical reaction. As in other fabrication methods, that crystal is then deposited on a substrate.
The new process allowed the team to produce high-yield, large-area photovoltaic devices that are highly efficient in creating power from sunlight. These perovskite solar cells also have a long operational lifetime.
Through a simple dipping method, the team was able to deposit a uniform, high-quality perovskite crystalline thin film covering a large active area in two mini-modules, one of about 16 square centimeters and the other nearly 37 square centimeters. Fabricating uniform thin film across the entire photovoltaic module’s area is essential to device performance.
Tops in power
The mini modules achieved a power conversion efficiency of 17.58% and 16.06%, respectively—among the top reported to date. The power conversion efficiency is a measure of how effectively sunlight is converted into electricity.
For other perovskite fabrication methods, one of the major roadblocks to industrial-scale fabrication is their narrow processing window, the time during which the film can be laid down on the substrate. To get a uniform crystalline film that’s well bonded to the layer below it, the deposition process has to be strictly controlled within a matter of seconds.
Using sulfolane in the perovskite precursor extends the processing window from 9 seconds to 90 seconds, forming highly crystalline, compact layers over a large area while being less dependent on the processing conditions.
The sulfolane method can be easily adapted to existing industrial fabrication techniques, which helps to pave the path toward commercialization.
A perovskite is any material with a particular crystal structure similar to the mineral perovskite. Perovskites can be engineered and fabricated in extremely thin films, which makes them useful for solar photovoltaic cells.
Original Article: New fabrication method paves way to large-scale production of perovskite solar cells
More from: Los Alamos National Laboratory | National Taiwan University
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Perovskite solar cells
- Powering drones with ultra-thin, flexible perovskite PV cells
An Austrian research team has demonstrated lightweight, flexible and ultra-thin perovskite solar technology in palm-sized autonomous drones ...
- Researchers develop perovskite solar cells for energy-autonomous drone operation
Inspection drones, for example, should remain in the air for as long as possible. Perovskite solar modules could be the key for a solution.
- EPFL unveils perovskite solar module with record-breaking efficiency of 23.3%
The solar modules are based on the record-breaking 25.32%-efficient 2D/3D perovskite solar cells that the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne unveiled in July 2023. The panel has an aperture area ...
- New doping strategy increases lead-free perovskite solar cell efficiency
An international research group has developed a solar cell based on a lead-free perovskite material known as Cs2AgBiBr6. The cell's absorber was doped with trans-polyacetylene, which reportedly helped ...
- A low-energy process for high-performance solar cells could simplify the manufacturing process
Finding reliable, eco-friendly power sources is crucial as our world grapples with increasing energy needs and the urgent call to combat climate change. Solar energy offers one solution, with ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Perovskite solar cells
[google_news title=”” keyword=”perovskite solar cells” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Perovskite fabrication
- Scientists use bamboo to create transparent glass with fireproof power
While it is easy and inexpensive to produce glass in this manner, the final product is extremely dense and brittle, and the production process emits planet-warming gases. Therefor ...
- 2D all-organic perovskites: potential use in 2D electronics
Perovskites are among the most researched topics in materials science. Recently, a research team has solved an age-old challenge to synthesize all-organic two-dimensional perovskites, extending the ...
- PolyU researchers create 2D all-organic perovskites and demonstrate potential use in 2D electronics
Prof. Loh Kian Ping, Chair Professor of Materials Physics and Chemistry and Global STEM Professor of the Department of Applied Physics of PolyU, led a team in the successful synthesis and device ...
- A low-energy process for high-performance solar cells could simplify the manufacturing process
Finding reliable, eco-friendly power sources is crucial as our world grapples with increasing energy needs and the urgent call to combat climate change. Solar energy offers one solution, with ...
- Development of ultra-high-efficiency pure red light-emitting devices with enhanced color representation
DGIST Professor Jiwoong Yang's team in the Energy Science and Engineering Department has successfully manufactured high-performance, skin-attachable perovskite pure red light-emitting devices to ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Perovskite fabrication
[google_news title=”” keyword=”perovskite fabrication” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]