December 2023

Researchers at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Korea University, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Yonsei University and Hyundai Motor Company have reported an infiltration technique that enables in situ synthesis of extremely small, thermally stable perovskite (Sm_0.5Sr_0.5)CoO₃ nanocatalysts on the inner surface of porous SOC electrodes. 

The team identified certain impurity phases, such as SrCO₃, that cause fatal degradation and eliminated them using a rational complexation strategy optimized for individual constituent cations. Consequently, they fabricated ∼ 20 nm diameter, highly pure, single-phase nanocatalysts that achieved more than double the performance of a cell with standard (La,Sr)(Co,Fe)O₃– and (La,Sr)CoO₃-based air electrode. 

GCL Group Holdings, a major Chinese solar materials maker, has reportedly begun building 'the world's biggest perovskite solar cell factory' in the city of Suzhou.

The plant’s production capacity will reach two gigawatts, according to GCL Photoelectric Materials. The new facility will be built in two phases and the products will be 2.4 meters in length and 1.2 meters in width, the Company'srecent statement specified.

Researchers at Germany's Forschungszentrum Jülich have reported a method to fabricate >1-micrometer thick perovskite films by employing hole-transporting bilayers of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and poly[bis(4-phenyl) (2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)amine] (PTAA). Recognizing the critical role transport layers play in exacerbating thickness-dependent losses, the team optimized a dual-layer hole transport architecture to reduce resistive losses and recombination. The authors achieved remarkable efficiency retention at over 1 micron thickness.

This work focuses on a solar cell architecture that decouples thickness from efficiency limitations. By sandwiching specialty organic films around the perovskite layer, the authors enabled micron-scale thicknesses without forfeiting peak performance. Their design notably achieves a remarkable 20.2% efficiency at over 1 micron thickness with minimal losses compared to thinner versions.

A team led by RIKEN researchers recently investigated how certain perovskite materials convert light into electricity. Their findings could hel improve their efficiency and use in solar cells.

Solar cells convert light into electricity by a phenomenon known as the photovoltaic effect. The vast majority of solar cells consist of two semiconductors put together—one with an excess of electrons and the other being electron deficient. This is because the setup has a high conversion efficiency. But another photovoltaic effect has also been attracting attention—the bulk photovoltaic effect, so called because it only involves a single material. While its conversion efficiency is currently rather low, recent research has suggested ways for improving its efficiency.

Researchers from Spain's Public University of Navarra and Rey Juan Carlos University have used perovskites to create lossy mode resonance (LMR) devices, which are devices that act like super-sensitive detectors that can pick up even the slightest changes in their environment.

The key to making LMR devices work is choosing the right material for a thin film. Perovskites have unique properties that allow it to generate LMRs, which are like 'sweet spots' where the material interacts with light in a special way. These sweet spots can be fine-tuned by adjusting the thickness of the perovskite film, among other parameters.

Scientists at South China University of Technology and Guangzhou Aifo Communication Technology have develop fast-response humidity sensors based on all-inorganic lead-free Cs₂PdBr₆ perovskite integrated with bulk acoustic wave resonators for motion monitoring.

The proposed sensor reportedly exhibits faster response and recovery speed than most other perovskite-based humidity sensors, indicating its potential utilization in real-time monitoring of body movements. In addition, the perovskite-based sensor shows remarkable logarithmic linearity response as well as superior repeatability and stability in the relative humidity range of 11%-85%. 

Reports suggest that earlier this month, China's privately owned company, Landspace, achieved a significant milestone with the successful launch of its ZQ-2 II Remote Three Launch Vehicle. The launch took place at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in western China. This one-rocket, multi-satellite commercial mission resulted in the deployment of three geosynchronous satellites into their designated orbits. One of these satellites, the Honghu II, carried perovskite modules developed by GCL Perovskite.

GCL Perovskite has equipped the Honghu II satellite with two 10cm by 10cm perovskite single-junction modules. The primary objective of the space test mission is to validate the performance, stability, and reliability of these perovskite modules in the demanding space environment. Data collected from the mission will be crucial for future practical applications of perovskite modules in space, including the construction of large-scale space power plants.

A team of researchers from Brookhaven National Lab, Georgia Institute of Technology, Argonne National Laboratory, Istituto CNR di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche “Giulio Natta” (CNR-SCITEC) and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie has examined the mechanism that causes degradation of formamidinium-based halide perovskites and have been able to stop it using a thin layer of molecules that repels water.

“Perovskites have the potential of not only transforming how we produce solar energy, but also how we make semiconductors for other types of applications like LEDs or phototransistors. We can think about them for applications in quantum information technology, such as light emission for quantum communication,” said Juan-Pablo Correa-Baena, assistant professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering and the study’s senior author. “These materials have impressive properties that are very promising.”

The CEA at INES, ENEL Green Power and its Sicilian affiliate 3SUN have announced a new record for a PIN architecture two-terminal perovskite-silicon tandem cell with a conversion efficiency of 28.4% on 9 cm² with shading correction.

In 2023, the CEA and 3SUN have previously announced 26.5% in March, and 27.1% in June for the same type of PIN architecture tandem cell on 9cm² with shading correction. The year closes on a high note for the team, with this cell, certified by the European Commission JRC-ESTI at a conversion efficiency 24.4% equivalent to 28.4% with shading correction. Like the previous performance record, the device has an active surface area of ~ 9 cm² and a Voc of over 1900 mV.

Reports suggest that China-based GCL (via its new subsidiary Kunshan GCL Photoelectric Materials) will establish its integrated project relating to the perovskite and energy storage industries in Kunshan. The GCL Group is an international energy group mainly focused on new energy, clean energy and related industries. It has been listed in the Top 500 Chinese Enterprises and the Top 500 Private Enterprises in China for many consecutive years, ranking second in the top 500 global new energy companies. 

The comprehensive cooperation reached betweenGCL and Kunshan's government involves projects related to perovskite, energy storage, digital energy, and the digital technology financial center. With the support of Kunshan's government, GCL Perovskite will build the world's first large-scale 2GW perovskite production line in two phases, aiming to create a billion-level industrial base.