April 2020

Scientists from Nanchang University, Xi'an Jiao Tong University and Chongqing University in China, ICREA and ICN2 in Spain and North Carolina State University in the US have discovered that light can boost perovskites' ability to convert vibrations into electric currents, an effect called photoflexoelectricity, by more than 10,000%.

'This is the first time that the photoflexoelectric effect has been measured in any semiconductor,' says Gustau Catalán, a physicist at the Catalán Institution for Research and Advanced Studies. The property might not be exclusive to perovskites, he says, and might be found in other photovoltaic materials. This capability could someday yield new types of energy-harvesting devices that produce electricity from light and motion, such as body movements or the wasted mechanical vibrations of a motor.

A team of researchers, led by Professor Jacek Jasieniak from the ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science (Exciton Science) and Monash University, have reported success in producing next-gen perovskite solar cells that generate electricity while allowing light to pass through.

They are now investigating how the new technology could be built into commercial products with Viridian Glass, Australia's largest glass manufacturer. The semi-transparent solar cells can be incorporated into window glass and are viewed by the researchers as a "game-changer" that could transform architecture, urban planning and electricity generation.

Researchers at Arizona State University have demonstrated a perovskite-silicon tandem cell they claim has low reflectance losses and strong potential for commercial production. The ASU team says that this new cell could lead to 30% efficiency tandem devices. The tandem architecture involves a manufacturing process featuring the solution-based blading of perovskites onto textured silicon wafers.

Image credit: Joule

The device is manufactured in a nitrogen-assisted blading process which ensures deposition of the perovskite layer onto textured silicon is achieved with typical pyramid heights of 1μm. The manufacture of such tandem devices typically results in perovskite heights of 3-10μm.

Florida State University (FSU) researchers have discovered a novel structure for metal halide perovskite materials that shows potential for more efficient technologies.

Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Biwu Ma and his team's new study explains how they created a hollow nanostructure for metal halide perovskites that would allow the material to emit a highly efficient blue light.

Saule Technologies recently announced a 4.35 Million Euro grant from the Polish National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR), to push forward the mass production of flexible perovskite solar modules for IoT applications.

Solar cell powered beacon

Saule Technologies has pioneered the manufacturing of flexible perovskite solar cells. These types of devices offer excellent energy harvesting capabilities, particularly interesting for applications where the presence of direct sunlight is not prevalent. Saule stated that perovskite-based solar cells are the fastest evolving solar technology to date, with their single junction record power conversion efficiency in the lab already achieving 25.2% under one sun condition. However, this performance can be significantly higher when perovskites are exposed to artificial light, which is critical for the IoT solutions.

Scientists have theorized that organometallic halide perovskites are so promising due to a highly controversial mechanism called the Rashba effect. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory have now experimentally proven the existence of the effect in bulk perovskites, using short microwave bursts of light to both produce and then record a rhythm, much like music, of the quantum coupled motion of atoms and electrons in these materials.

Research thus far hypothesized that the materials' extraordinary electronic, magnetic and optical properties are related to the Rashba effect, a mechanism that controls the magnetic and electronic structure and charge carrier lifetimes. But despite intense study and debate, conclusive evidence of Rashba effects in bulk organometallic halide perovskites, used in the most efficient perovskite solar cells, remained highly elusive.

Scientists at the University of Cambridge and Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST), have identified the source of "deep traps", a known limitation of perovskite materials caused by a defect, or minor blemish, in the material.

"Deep traps" are areas in the material where energized charge carriers can get stuck and recombine, losing their energy to heat, rather than converting it into useful electricity or light. This recombination process can have a significant impact on the efficiency and stability of solar panels and LEDs.

Researchers from Helmhotlz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), collaborating with teams from University of Cambridge, Eindhoven University of Technology, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Salerno University and others, have developed a monolithic "two-terminal" tandem cell made of CIGS and perovskite that achieved a certified efficiency of 24.16%, with a thickness of well below 5 micrometers - which would allow the production of flexible solar modules.

Tandem cells combine two different semiconductors that convert different parts of the light spectrum into electrical energy. Metal-halide perovskite compounds mainly use the visible parts of the spectrum, while CIGS semiconductors convert rather the infrared light. CIGS cells, which consist of copper, indium, gallium and selenium, can be deposited as thin-films with a total thickness of only 3 to 4 micrometers; the perovskite layers are even much thinner at 0.5 micrometers.

This article is an extract from The Perovskite Handbook, 2020 edition, and explains the current market status of Perovskites Solar Panels.

Solar Panels is the most prominent potential perovskite application, as synthetic perovskites are recognized as inexpensive base materials for high-efficiency commercial photovoltaics. Perovskite PVs are constantly undergoing research and improvement, going from just 2% in 2006 to over 23% today, and constantly improving. Experts forecast that the market for perovskite PV will reach $214 million in 2025.

Power efficiency is obviously a key metric for solar power technologies. In this article we'll explain how solar system efficiency is defined and the current power efficiency market status of PSCs.

Researchers from China's Xidian University have proposed a way to use waste lead from lead-acid batteries for the manufacturing of perovskite for solar cells. In their study, published in Nano Energy last month, the scientists described the proposed single one-step spin-coating method as a way to recycle the battery lead without causing secondary pollution.

The basic concept is to take the lead acetate Pb(AC)₂ from the cathode and anode regions of the battery and mix lead-containing materials with acetic acid (CH₃COOH). This simple process is said to deliver high-purity lead acetate (Pb(Ac)₂), which works as an effective precursor material for solar cells based on halide perovskites.