A new type of material for next-generation solar cells eliminates the need to use lead, which has been a major roadblock for this technology.
Solar cells, incorporating the mineral perovskite, have been the focus of attention since the material was first shown to work in 2009. Solar cells that are built using this material are more efficient than current solar panels. Current solar panels capture 15% to 18% of the solar energy on average, while perovskite solar cells have been found to be as much as 28% efficient.
But there are major obstacles to using these materials commercially: The materials are not stable, and they contain water-soluble lead, which is a health hazard.
Now a team of scientists and engineers led by Letian Dou, assistant professor of chemical engineering at Purdue University, have developed a sandwich-like material incorporating organic and inorganic materials to form a hybrid structure that doesn’t use lead and has much improved stability.
“These structures are very exciting,” Dou said. “The sandwich structures are like semiconductor quantum wells that are widely used today in many electronic and optoelectronic devices, but they are much easier to produce and more tolerant to defects,”
The research was published Monday (Nov. 11) in the journal Nature Chemistry.
In a paper published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society in September, the scientists had incorporated the material into an essential component of many electronic devices, a field effect transistor.
Yao Gao, lead author of both research papers and a postdoctoral fellow in Dou’s research group, said the new organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite materials are cheaper and perform better than a traditional inorganic semiconductor. Also, Gao said, the new material’s design strategy could serve as a blueprint for many other functional hybrid materials.
“Solar cells, as many people have demonstrated, can be highly efficient,” he said. “With our new technology, we can make the hybrid perovskite materials intrinsically more stable. By replacing the toxic lead, these new materials are better for the environment and can also be safely used for bioelectronics sensors on the body.”
Learn more: New material points toward highly efficient solar cells
The Latest on: Solar cells
- Passive solar tracker wind stowing boosts energy productionon May 7, 2024 at 9:32 am
Solar panels are often tilted to a stowed position to prevent wind damage to utility-scale assets. Array Technologies introduced a passive stowing strategy that prevents unnecessary production losses.
- The Global Solar Power Boom Is Driving a Surge in Silver Demandon May 7, 2024 at 7:51 am
Miners are expanding their operations and ramping up production as prices for the precious metal climb to decade highs.
- JinkoSolar says solar panel prices near the bottomon May 7, 2024 at 6:23 am
The current plunge in prices for solar panels is "irrational" and is not likely to continue, JinkoSolar (NYSE:JKS) Chairman Li Xiande said Tuesday in a presentation at the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
- China’s solar panel giants say prices are near the bottomon May 7, 2024 at 6:14 am
Plunging prices for solar panels that have slashed profits across the sector don’t have much room fall any further, according to the chairmen of two of the industry’s biggest firms.
- First continental scale study weighs floating solar panels against new dam constructionon May 7, 2024 at 6:00 am
Floating solar panels on existing hydropower reservoirs could, in the best-case scenario, make it unnecessary to construct any of the new hydropower dams currently planned in Africa, according to a ...
- Italy curbs installation of solar panels on agricultural landon May 6, 2024 at 1:56 pm
Italy's rightwing coalition on Monday passed rules curbing the installation of solar panels on agricultural land, ministers said, in a move that triggered criticism as it could undermine Rome's ...
- Accelerated declines in solar cell prices since late Marchon May 6, 2024 at 10:10 am
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, offers bite-sized analysis on solar PV module supply and price trends.
- Swedish startup wins EU funding to print organic indoor solar panelson May 6, 2024 at 8:11 am
Epishine's organic solar panels harness indoor light to power electronics and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
- UCSB pioneers a low-energy process for high-performance solar cellson May 6, 2024 at 8:05 am
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara developed a way to make perovskite films at room temperature. This material has emerged as a promising alternative to conventional, silicon solar cells.
- Recent fires may impact production output for two leading solar panel manufacturerson May 6, 2024 at 5:42 am
Two solar panel manufacturers have experienced fires at factories in recent weeks that may affect production for months to come. JinkoSolar revealed that ...
via Bing News
The Latest on: Perovskite solar cell
- Sunrise brief: Solar cell prices continue to dropon May 7, 2024 at 7:13 am
Hotter times will drive rooftop solar value An analysis suggests rooftop solar will increase in value by between 19% to 25% due to warming and changing weather patterns increasing onsite electricity ...
- IIT Roorkee's Perovskite start-up wins IOCL Start-Up Challenge grant for advancing solar window technologyon May 6, 2024 at 9:02 pm
Perovskite Innovation, India's pioneering start-up specialising in indigenous perovskite solar cells manufacturing, and incubated within the Indian Institute of ...
- UCSB pioneers a low-energy process for high-performance solar cellson May 6, 2024 at 8:05 am
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara developed a way to make perovskite films at room temperature. This material has emerged as a promising alternative to conventional, silicon solar cells.
- NREL interactive chart of solar cell efficiency now including ‘hybrid tandems’on May 6, 2024 at 4:09 am
The new cell category includes perovskite/silicon, perovskite/CIGS, III-V/silicon and perovskite/organic tandem PV devices. It will list the absolute record efficiency for all-perovskite, two-terminal ...
- Improving perovskite solar cell performance with conductive adhesive inkon May 6, 2024 at 3:23 am
Conceived by researchers from Iran, the new conductive adhesive ink is made of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and is used as an interlayer between the cell's hole transport layer and carbon foil. It ...
- Researchers pioneer a low-energy process for high-performance solar cellson May 5, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Solar energy offers one solution, with scientists devising ever more efficient materials for capturing sunlight. Perovskite solar cells have emerged as a promising alternative to conventional, silicon ...
- Perovskite Solar Cells: What Are They & How Do They Work?on May 4, 2024 at 7:15 am
This renewable energy technology has shown huge potential for over a decade, if only a few large obstacles could be overcome on the road to market.
- Can perovskite solar cells outshine silicon and revolutionize solar energy?on May 3, 2024 at 3:06 am
For decades, the familiar blue rectangles of silicon solar panels have dominated rooftops across the globe with the increasing adoption of solar energy. While these panels have become a reliable ...
- Is perovskite PV still the future of solar?on May 1, 2024 at 3:01 am
So, is perovskite PV still the future of solar? It seems likely to have place among the solutions, at the very least. Applications will get more energy efficient. The need to efficient solar is ...
- Tin halide perovskite solar cell based on new precursor additive achieves 12.22% efficiencyon April 30, 2024 at 5:00 pm
A group of researchers led by the Chungbuk National University in South Korea has designed a tin halide perovskite (Sn-HP) solar cell that utilizes an additive known as 4-Phenylthiosemicarbazide ...
via Bing News