Efficiency - Page 9

Researchers at China's Qingdao University of Science and Technology and Canada's University of Toronto have developed a thermal regulation strategy by incorporating carboranes into perovskites to improve the performance of inverted tin-lead perovskite tech for all-perovskite tandem solar cells. 

The Chinese-Canadian research group has designed a monolithic all-perovskite tandem solar cell that utilizes a top inverted perovskite PV device based on an absorber made with mixed tin-lead (Sn-Pb) perovskite via the newly developed thermal regulation strategy.

Researchers from China's Beihang University and Changchun University of Technology have developed a new surface engineering strategy to build low-cost solar cells without a hole transport layer. The devices were treated with benzoylcholine halide to reduce non-radiation recombination and achieved impressive efficiency and stability.

The research group developed a carbon-based all-inorganic perovskite solar cell without the use of an expensive hole transport layer (HTL). In the proposed cell architecture, the absence of the HTL, which prevents direct contact between the carbon electrode and the perovskite, is compensated by engineering the surface composition of the perovskite film. ”The bipolar transport of the perovskite layer and the hole extraction ability of the carbon electrode provide a theoretical basis for the preparation of HTL-free CsPbI₂Br carbon-based all-inorganic perovskite solar cells,” the researchers said in their study.

The Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) and Korean semiconductor equipment maker UniTest have announced the joint development of a large-area perovskite solar cell with 20.6% efficiency, which they define as a record-breaking achievement.

They reportedly received the world’s highest efficiency certification from Fraunhofer and will be listed on the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)’s solar cell efficiency chart.

Researchers from the University of Victoria, University of British Columbia and Henan University recently used a cadmium iodide doping technique to stabilize the blade coating process in the manufacturing of solar cells based on formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI₃) perovskite. The team built a cell showing a considerable increase in efficiency compared to an identical device without cadmium doping.

FAPbI₃ is one of the most promising perovskite materials for solar cell applications, as it offers a narrow energy bandgap and remarkable stability. However, there are still challenges to overcome considering the FAPbI₃ polymorphism issue and its hypersensitivity to fabrication conditions. The scientists hypothesized that introducing a homovalent Pb-site additive would be beneficial, and one such alternative is cadmium.

Small-molecule ionic liquids are frequently used as efficient bulk phase modifiers for perovskite materials. However, their inherent characteristics, such as high volatility and ion migration, pose challenges in addressing the stability issues associated with perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Recently, researchers at China's Northwestern Polytechnical University and CNPC Tubular Goods Research Institute designed improved poly ionic liquids (ILs) with multiple active sites as efficient additives for perovskite materials.

The team's recent work shows how additive engineering with a polymerized ionic liquid to the metal halide perovskite material can improve the solar cell's function, helping to pave the way for the adoption of perovskite solar cells.

Researchers at China's Shanghai University of Electric Power have used dibenzoylmethane (DBM) as a precursor additive introduced in order to regulate the crystallization of CsPbI₂Br perovskite while passivating its associated defects. 

Inorganic CsPbI₂Br perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have attracted massive interest but the tendency towards unruly crystallization and poor film quality of inorganic CsPbI₂Br perovskites are major factors limiting their performance improvement. In their recent work, the scientists used DBM additive engineering for efficient and stable carbon-based CsPbI₂Br PSCs.

Researchers from India's Chiktara University have reported improved stability and performance of organic-inorganic perovskite solar cells by applying a strategy called bandgap grading.

The method is based on enabling the cell perovskite absorber to collect a wider range of light photons by modifying its thickness and characteristics. The team explains that its recent study demonstrates the effectiveness of both linear and parabolic bandgap grading strategies in optimizing light absorption and boosting performance, showing its potential. 

China-based RenShine Solar has announced that following the completion and commissioning of its 150MW perovskite photovoltaic module project in January, 2024, the Company's 1.2*0.6㎡ commercial size single-junction perovskite was certified by the China Institute of Metrology. The steady-state efficiency of the entire module area reportedly reaches 18.4%.

The production line aims to achieve mass production of 1.2m*0.6m perovskite modules with 20% efficiency by mid-2024. It plans to develop gigawatt-scale production lines to further expand its capacity.

Researchers from EPFL, Soochow University, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg, Toin University of Yokohama, Southern University of Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, North China Electric Power University and Toyota Motor Europe recently developed a solar panel relying on EPFL's record-breaking 25.32%-efficient 2D/3D perovskite solar cells unveiled in July 2023.

The group's research demonstrates a larger surface area of 27.22 cm², achieving an impressive efficiency of 23.3%. In the paper, the scientists explain that the module's high efficiency was achieved thanks to a synergistic dopant-additive combination strategy aimed to improve the cell absorber's uniformity and crystallinity. They used, in particular, methylammonium chloride (MACl) as a dopant and a Lewis-basic ionic liquid known as 1,3-bis(cyanomethyl)imidazolium chloride ([Bcmim]Cl) as an additive.

Researchers from Malaysia have simulated a mixed cation solar cell based on a perovskite absorber integrating tin (Sn) and germanium (Ge) as mixed B cations. By modulating the perovskite layer thickness, they achieved an efficiency ranging of 24.25% - 31.49%.

Perovskite absorbers using mixed cations have the potential to improve stability, light absorption, and charge carrier mobility. A cations are used to control the bandgap and stability of the perovskite material, while B cations are intended to modify electrical and optical characteristics of perovskites. The scientists explained that using both elements in the B cation via “compositional engineering ” enables to reduce their respective defects and increase the cell performance, when compared to using each of them separately. Furthermore, the Ge atoms can replace Sn atoms in the perovskite crystal structure.