Researchers at EPFL, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, University of Ulsan and Uppsala University have designed an innovative way to increase the performance of perovskite solar cells and maintain it at a high level even at large scales. The new approach replaces the electron-transport layer with a thin layer of quantum dots.
With this new approach, the team, led by Professor Michael Grätzel at EPFL and Dr Dong Suk Kim at the Korea Institute of Energy Research, addressed one of the major obstacles facing the commercialization of perovskite solar cells - the fact that their power-conversion efficiency and operational stability drop as they scale up, making it a challenge to maintain high performance in a complete solar cell.
Quantum dots are nanometer-sized particle that act as semiconductors, and emit light of specific wavelengths (colors) when they illuminated. Their unique optical properties make quantum dots ideal for use in a variety of optical applications, including photovoltaic devices.
The scientists replaced the titanium dioxide electron-transport layer of their perovskite cells with a thin layer of polyacrylic acid'stabilized tin(IV) oxide quantum dots, and found that it enhanced the devices' light-capturing capacity, while also suppressing nonradiative recombination, an efficiency-sapping phenomenon that sometimes takes on the interface between the electron-transport layer and the actual perovskite layer.
By using the quantum dot layer, the researchers found that perovskite solar cells of 0.08 square centimeters attained a record power-conversion efficiency of 25.7% (certified 25.4%) and high operational stability, while facilitating the scale-up. When increasing the surface area of the solar cells to 1, 20, and 64 square centimeters, power-conversion efficiency measured at 23.3, 21.7, and 20.6% respectively.
