Efficiency - Page 14

Researchers at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) and Korea University have reported efficient, stable tin–lead halide perovskites (TLHP)-based PV and photoelectrochemical (PEC) devices containing a chemically protective cathode interlayer—amine-functionalized perylene diimide (PDINN). Their work may advance the commercialization of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) and have potential in green hydrogen production technology, ensuring long-term operation with high efficiency. 

The presence of inherent ionic vacancies in tin-lead halide perovskites (TLHPs) has posed challenges, leading to accelerated device degradation through inward metal diffusion. To address this challenge, the research team developed the chemically protective cathode interlayer using amine-functionalized perylene diimide (PDINN). By leveraging its nucleophilic sites to form tridentate metal complexes, PDINN effectively extracts electrons and suppresses inward metal diffusion.

Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Avantama have developed a new interface using antimony doped tin oxides (ATOx), that creates a chemically stable interface between the cell layers that's more uniform, conducts electricity better, and is more transparent. This enabled reduced energy loss and improved cell efficiency - 25.7% (certified steady-state efficiency of 24.8%) for an area of 0.05 cm², retained under maximum power point tracking over 500 h and 24.6% (certified steady-state efficiency of 24.0%) for an area of 1 cm².

The team reported p-type antimony-doped tin oxides (ATOx) combined with a self-assembled monolayer molecule as an interlayer between the perovskite and hole-transporting layers (HTL) in inverted solar cells. The scientists said that ATOx increases the chemical stability of the interface; they showed that the redox reaction that commonly took place at the NiOx/perovskite interface is negligible at the ATOx/perovskite interface. 

A consortium entitled "Scalable High-power Output and Low-Cost MAde-to-measure Tandem Solar Modules Enabling Specialized PV Applications" (SOLMATES) was selected for a Horizon Europe project. 

The consortium consists of 3 RTOs including the HZB (Helmholtz Center in Berlin for Materials and Energy), Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) and TNO (Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research), 5 universities including the Universität Innsbruck (project coordinator) and 6 SMEs. The SOLMATES initiative launched in December 2023 held an initial "kick-off" strategic research meeting on January 17-18, 2024, in Innsbruck, Austria.

Tin-based perovskite solar cells have attracted great research interest due to their excellent photovoltaic performance and environmentally friendly characteristics. However, TPSCs with ideal band gaps suffer from current losses, so new interface engineering strategies need to be developed to improve device performance. Researchers from Soochow University and Marmara University have reported high-performance tin-based perovskite solar cells (TPSCs) by constructing charge bridge paths. 

The authors propose a method to construct charge transfer pathways through a simple post-growth treatment of 3-aminomethylbenzo[b]thiophene (3-AMBTh) on a perovskite film. The selective reaction of 3-AMBTh with exposed FA⁺ on the perovskite surface suppresses the formation of iodine vacancy defects, resulting in a reduction in trap density.

Researchers at the University of Sheffield have used silver (Ag) particles to form a SnO₂:Ag nanoparticle composite transport layer, to improve the efficiency of perovskite solar cells.

SnO₂ is known as one of the most efficient transport layers for perovskite solar cells. Adding the Ag nanoparticles increased the recombination rate (detrimental for device performance), and the charge carrier transfer and extraction was also enhanced (beneficial for device performance). In order to balance these opposing factors, the nanoparticle concentration was optimized at an intermediate concentration with a corresponding power conversion efficiency increase from 13.4 ± 0.7 % for reference solar cells without nanoparticles to 14.3 ± 0.3 % for those with nanoparticles. 

Researchers at the University of Oxford, University of Toronto, Peking University, Kunming Medical University, Yunnan University, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Academia Sinica have reported a chemically stable and multifunctional buffer layer material, ytterbium oxide (YbOx), for p-i-n perovskite solar cells (PSCs) by scalable thermal evaporation deposition. 

This YbOx buffer has been used in p-i-n PSCs based on narrow-bandgap perovskite light-absorbing layers, with certified power conversion efficiencies exceeding 25%.

China-based RenShine Solar has announced the completion of its 150MW perovskite PV module project in Changsgu, which started in April 2023. 

The Company said it has switched on the 150 MW perovskite cell production line. The China-based perovskite manufacturer aims to achieve mass-scale production of perovskite panels with a size of 1.2m*0.6m and an efficiency of 20% by mid-2024. It said it will focus on the development of gigawatt-level production lines to further expand its capacity. 

Researchers at China's Sun Yat-sen University, Spain's Universidad de Valencia, Germany's Forschungszentrum Jülich, and University of Duisburg-Essen have used transient photoluminescence measurements to show that the loss of charge carriers in perovskite cells follows different physical laws than those known for most semiconductors. This may be one of the main reasons for their high level of efficiency. 

“An important factor here is the question of how long excited charge carriers remain in the material, in other words their lifetime,” explains Thomas Kirchartz. “Understanding the processes is crucial to further improving the efficiency of perovskite-based solar cells”. Kirchartz is the head of a working group on organic and hybrid solar cells at Forschungszentrum Jülich’s Institute of Energy and Climate Research (IEK-5).

Electronic band structure engineering of metal-halide perovskites (MHP) is at the heart of fundamental materials research and photovoltaic applications. However, reconfiguring the band structures in MHPs for optimized electronic properties remains challenging. Researchers at Wuhan University have reported a generic strategy for constructing near-edge states to improve carrier properties, leading to enhanced device performances. 

The near-edge states are designed around the valence band edge using theoretical prediction and constructed through tailored material engineering. These states are experimentally revealed with activation energies of around 23 milli-electron volts by temperature-dependent time-resolved spectroscopy. 

Researchers from the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) in South Korea have developed silver-alloyed CIGS solar cells (ACIGS) that can be beneficial for applications in perovskite-CIGS tandem PV devices. 

The silver-alloyed photovoltaic cell based on copper, indium, gallium and selenium (CIGS) thin-film technology and can reach a remarkable power conversion efficiency of 17.7% without applying post-deposition treatments or anti-reflection coatings.