Reports suggest that Slovakia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Denisa Sakova, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Japan's Sekisui Chemical.

Sekisui Chemical is designing lightweight perovskite solar technology and aims to commercialize its flexible panels in 2025. “We are interested not only in working together on the expansion of this technology in Slovakia, but at the same time we also want to explore the possibilities of locating the production of such panels in our country,” said Sakova.

Tokyo Chemical Industry (TCI), a global supplier of laboratory chemicals and specialty materials, launched a new high-performance hole collecting material (HCM), that can be used to enhance the performance of inverted perovskite solar cells, as it efficiently collects holes from the perovskite layer.

TCI's new 3PATAT-C3 is a SAM formation reagent, with face-on orientation to the substrate surface. It strongly binds to the ITO layer, has a high coverage ratio and it offers efficient charge recovery from the perovskite layer. The material is now available in high purity, and preparations are underway with a view to large-scale supply. See here for more info.

Much research work is put into emulating the human vision system, that can effortlessly and efficiently interpret the visual world despite the barrage of fragmented data that strikes the retina. Neuromorphic visual sensors (NVS) based on photonic synapses hold great promise towards that end, but current photonic synapses rely on delicate engineering of the complex heterogeneous interface to realize learning and memory functions, resulting in high fabrication costs, reduced reliability, high energy consumption and uncompact architecture, severely limiting the up-scaled manufacture, and on-chip integration. 

The concept of an artificial visual system mimicking the biological system. a) The biological visual system consisting of the retina (receiving and preprocessing), optic nerves (transmitting), and the visual center (processing and memory system) and a multilayer structure of a retina. b) The artificial visual system based on a 2T vertical photodetector of ITO/(BA)2PbI4/ITO. The exciton-ion coupling is responsible for the nonvolatile photocurrent. Image from Advanced Materials

Now, researchers at Nanjing Normal University, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications and RMIT University have reported a nanomaterials-based approach using solution grown hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites (OIHP) that intrinsically unites both photodetection and dynamic, adaptive synaptic signal modulation within single micron scale elements.

In December 2022, CubicPV announced plans to establish 10 GW of conventional mono wafer capacity in the United States. Now, CubicPV said it has halted its plans to build a major U.S. silicon wafer factory, citing a collapse in product prices and soaring construction costs. It was reported that the Company will instead be focusing on producing tandem perovskite solar modules.

As part of its restructuring scheme, the company reduced its workforce and eliminated positions tied to the U.S. factory effort. The Company said it would support the affected workers by providing severance packages and extended health benefits.

Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), University of Nottingham Ningbo China and University of Science and Technology of China have developed a novel solvent sieve method that significantly enhances the performance and operational stability of perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs).

Perovskites' practical application in PeLEDs has thus been constrained by their low operational stability. The recent research, centered on a comprehensive analysis of perovskite nanostructures, identified the presence of defective low n-phase perovskites as a primary factor undermining device stability. These defective phases, characterized by a minimal number of lead ion layers, arise from rapid and uncontrolled crystallization processes. The simple solvent sieve treatment reported in this study addresses this issue and improves the efficiency and stability potentials of high-brightness perovskite light-emitting diodes for future commercial applications.

Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) researchers have developed solar cells using narrow bandgap organic cation-based perovskite-based quantum dots (PQDs) and demonstrated substantially higher efficiency compared with their inorganic counterparts. 

The team stressed that research to this point has predominantly focused on inorganic cation PQDs despite the fact that organic cation PQDs have more favorable bandgaps. However, the recent study unveiled a novel ligand exchange technique, that enables the synthesis of organic cation-based PQDs, ensuring exceptional stability while suppressing internal defects in the photoactive layer of solar cells.

Shenzhen Hiking PV has announced plans to set up a joint venture with a state-run investment company to build gigawatt-level perovskite/polysilicon tandem cell and panel production lines in a new factory in Zhongshan, Guangdong province, China. 

The factory is planned to have a total capacity of 7 GW of perovskite/polysilicon tandem cells, with an investment of CNY 5 billion (around USD$700 million). The plan is to build the plant in three phases.

Researchers at City University of Hong Kong, Zhejiang University and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology have designed a unique triple-layer thermochromic perovskite window (MTPW) that enables sufficient water vapor transmission to trigger the thermochromism but effectively repel detrimental water and moisture to extend its lifespan. The scientists explained they drew inspiration from the structure of medical masks.

Schematic of the trilayer structure and working principle of an antivirus medical mask. b Schematic of the trilayer structure and working principle of the MTPW for repelling water and excess water vapor. Image from Nature Communications

This research addresses the two main challenges hindering the development of thermochromic perovskite smart windows, namely, poor durability and optical blurriness. The MTPW demonstrates superhydrophobicity and maintains a solar modulation ability above 20% during a 45-day aging test, with a decay rate 37 times lower than that of a pristine TPW. It can also immobilize lead ions and significantly reduce lead leakage by 66 times.

A team of researchers, led by Maksym Kovalenko at ETH Zurich and Empa, working in collaboration with scientists from the U.S. and Ukraine, recently demonstrated how the promising properties of perovskite quantum dots can be improved further. They used chemical methods for surface treatment and quantum mechanical effects that had never before been observed in perovskite quantum dots. 

Perovskite quantum dots can be mixed with liquids to form a dispersion, which makes them easy to process. Moreover, their special optical properties make them shine more brightly than many other quantum dots. They can also be produced more cheaply, which makes them interesting for applications in displays, for instance. On top of all this, the newly developed phospholipid molecules create a protective layer around the perovskite nanocrystal and make it possible to disperse it in non-aqueous solutions. They also ensure that the quantum dot emits photons more continuously.