October 2016

Switzerland-based R&D tools provider Fluxim released a new simulation tool called Laoss. Laoss is aimed specifically for large area organic electronic devices - such as large OLED TV panels and perovskite solar cells.

Fluxim says that the Laoss software can be used to design optimal electrode lay-outs of any shape with and without current carrying grids. According to Fluxim, a carefully designed electrode layout avoids non-uniformities that arise due to the resistance of the electrode and charge injecting layers.

Australia-based Dyesol has announced the signing of a letter of intent (LOI) to collaborate with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in the development of perovskite solar cells (PSC).

The LOI creates a non-binding framework for collaboration and coordination between the two organizations. The collaboration aims to be a step towards the development of commercially viable PSC technology. CSIRO is currently the 4th largest shareholder in Dyesol. The two have worked together in the past, collaborating in 2010 on materials for dye sensitized solar cells. Since then, Dyesol has shifted to focus on PSC development.

Researchers at Stanford University and Oxford University have reportedly combined two perovskite materials to produce a stable solar cell with efficiency over 20% that can be printed on a plastic substrate. The teams have developed four and two-terminal perovskite-perovskite tandem solar cells with ideally matched bandgaps. Each cell is printed on glass, but the same technology could be used to print the cells on plastic.

They developed an infrared absorbing 1.2eV bandgap perovskite, FA0.75Cs0.25Sn0.5Pb0.5I3, that delivers 14.8% efficiency. By combining this material with a wider bandgap FA0.83Cs0.17Pb(I0.5Br0.5)3 material, a monolithic two terminal tandem cell provides efficiencies of 17.0% with over 1.65 V open-circuit voltage. The team has also mechanically stacked four terminal tandem cells and obtain 20.3% efficiency.

UK-based Oxford Photovoltaics, founded in 2010 as a spin-off from the University of Oxford, has announced an equity investment of £8.7 million (around US $10.6 million), provided by a combination of new and existing shareholders as the first portion of a Series C funding round. Further investment is expected before the end of 2016.

The funding will be used to help extend Oxford PV's position in the use of its perovskite technology to significantly enhance the performance and economic returns achievable from existing solar PV technologies. A portion of the funding has already been earmarked to develop a demonstration line to showcase the technology to manufacturers, bringing the firm one step closer to commercialization.

US-based RRAM developer 4DS Memory announced that it developed a working 40nm RRAM memory cells. The 4DS memory cell is constructed using an advanced perovskite material, which has the same crystal structure as the inorganic compound calcium titanium oxide.

4DS Memory's development was achieved in collaboration with HGST, a subsidiary of Western Digital. 4DS has been collaboration with HGST for the past two years under a joint development agreement (JDA). When the JDA commenced, 4DS memory cells were at 800 nm. The JDA was renewed in July 2016 for a further 12 months and is focused on optimizing scalability and cycling endurance or RRAM cells for the mobile and cloud gigabyte silicon storage market.

Scientists at Oxford University have developed a solvent system with reduced toxicity that can be used to manufacture perovskite solar cells, which may clear one of the barriers to the commercialization of a technology.

By combining methylamine and acetonitrile, researchers have developed a clean solvent with a low boiling point and low viscosity that quickly crystallises perovskite films at room temperature and could be used to help coat large solar panels with the material.

Researchers from the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have achieved 10.77% conversion efficiency with perovskite solar cells made from quantum dots with no organic components.

Solutions of all-inorganic perovskite quantum dots, showing intense photoluminescence when illuminated with UV light

The result was achieved with a thin film made of nanocrystals of cesium lead iodide (CsPbI3). The team discovered a method to keep the crystal structure in the all-inorganic perovskite material stable at room temperature, something that was previously possible only at temperatures exceeding 600 degrees Fahrenheit. The use of methyl acetate as an anti-solvent to remove excess unreacted precursors proved a crucial step in increasing the nanocrystals' stability.

A team of researchers from Italy has created hybrid perovskite-graphene solar cells that show good stability upon exposure to sunlight, while still maintaining an impressive efficiency of over 18% - the highest reported efficiency of graphene perovskite hybrid solar cells to date.

Despite tremendous progress in Perovskite PV performance, the stability of these devices is still questionable. In particular, air and humidity degrade cell performance, as do continued exposure to sunlight and heat, setting back the advantages over other types of solar cells. Graphene and graphene-related materials (GRMs) have properties that make them shine in applications like protective layers, andso arise as natural candidates to protect PSCs from atmospheric degradation.

Researchers from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), ZSW and IMEC presented at the PSCO international conference a prototype of the new solar module using thin-film technology. According to the researchers, an efficiency of 17.8% has been achieved in this prototype of a perovskite/CIGS tandem thin-film solar module, exceeding the efficiency of individual perovskite and CIGS solar modules for the very first time.

To create the new solar module, the researchers used a stack module. By merging both perovskite and CIGS into one module, the new structure could benefit from the advantages of both technologies. The upper semitransparent layer of the model is made of perovskite, which absorbs high solar energy. Meanwhile, the lower CIGS layer is responsible for infrared conversion. Having an area of 3.67 square meters, the stacked perovskite/CIGS model is also designed to meet industrial needs. It features a monolithic interconnection scheme using 4 and 7 module cell stripes. Unlike other small-scale solar cells, the new stacked solar module can be interconnected for several square meters through laser processing.

Researchers at EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) in Switzerland have stabilized perovskite solar cells by integrating metallic element rubidium into them, driving power-conversion efficiency to a staggering 22%.

The research outlines the integration of rubidium cations into perovskites; The perovskites maintained stability for more than 500 continuous hours in full sunlight at 85°C. The project team has already submitted a patent based on their innovation.