Perovskite applications

Researchers from China's Wuhan University and Hubei University have examined the long-term stability problem of tin-lead perovskites under irradiation, counterintuitively discovering an irreversible phase reconstruction process. 

The evolution from tin-lead perovskites to a reconstruction of lead perovskites under light. Image from: Nature Communications

Tin-lead perovskite materials show promise for all-perovskite tandem solar cells, offering an optimal bandgap that significantly boosts power conversion efficiency. However, light-induced degradation, particularly in ambient air, remains a major obstacle to their long-term stability. Unlike single-metal perovskite materials, tin-lead perovskite degrades through distinct mechanisms, making it crucial to understand how it deteriorates under light and air exposure.

Hybrid perovskites show piezoelectric properties due to polarization and centro-symmetry breaking of PbX₆ pyramids (X = I^-, Br^-, Cl^-). Researchers from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Polish Academy of Sciences and Nanyang Technological University recently examined the piezoelectric response of quasi-2D perovskites using various barrier molecules: benzyl amine (BzA), phenylethyl amine (PEA), and butyl diamine (BuDA).

Utilizing piezoelectric force microscopy measurements, the team determined the piezoelectric coefficient (d33) where BuDA exhibits a substantial response with values of 147 pm V^–1 for n = 5, better than the other quasi-2D and 3D perovskite counterparts. Density functional theory calculations revealed distorted bond angles in the PbBr₆ pyramids for quasi-2D perovskites, enhancing symmetry breaking. 

Researchers from Pakistan's University of Engineering & Technology (UET) and National University of Technology have reported the use of manual screen printing to fabricate semi-transparent, scalable perovskite solar modules without the requirement for numerous laser-scribing steps. 

A carbon-based, hole-transport-layer-free perovskite solar module with a power conversion efficiency of 11.83% was manufactured, with an active area of 900 cm². Accelerated testing was done in settings with elevated humidity, high sun irradiation, and harsh temperatures to determine whether these modules are ready for the market. 

Anker has reportedly unveiled its first solar umbrella at CES 2025, designed to charge electronic devices — like coolers or phones — while outdoors. To do so, Anker’s product makes use of perovskite solar cells. 

Image from: techcrunch

Anker announced this umbrella alongside several other new products at CES 2025, including the second generation of its EverFrost electric cooler for which the umbrella can be viewed as a complementary accessory, as it can be attached to the cooler to power it. 

Researchers from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Beijing Institute of Technology and University of California Los Angeles have addressed the fragile and moisture-sensitive nature of halide perovskite materials by using an asynchronous cross-linking strategy. 

Schematic illustration of intermediate-dominated perovskite crystallization by pre-embedded DVS and all-around co-polymerization protection through the post-treatment of gly. Image credit: Nature Communications

A multifunctional cross-linking initiator, divinyl sulfone (DVS), is firstly pre-embedded into perovskite precursor solutions. DVS facilitates intermediate-dominated perovskite crystallization manipulation, favoring formamidine-DVS based solvate transition. Subsequently, DVS-embedded perovskite as-cast films are post-treated with a nucleophilic reagent, glycerinum, to trigger controllably three-dimensional co-polymerization. The resulting cross-linking scaffold provides enhanced water-resistance, releases residual tensile strain, and suppresses deep-level defects. 

Researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Hefei University of Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and Tianjin Jinhang Computing Technology Research Institute have developed a retinomorphic hardware prototype that uses a 4096-pixel perovskite image sensor array as core module to endow embodied intelligent vision functionalities. 

(A) Adaptive sensing-perception by the biological visual system through the hierarchy of photoreceptors, horizontal cells, bipolar cells, amacrine cells, and ganglion cells. (B) Schematic illustration and working principle of the retinomorphic computing system based on a 4096-pixel 1T-1PD perovskite RSA, microcontroller unit (MCU), and field-programmable gate array (FPGA). ADC, analog-to-digital converter; TIS, trans-impedance amplifier; DAC, digital-to-analog converter. Image from: Science Advances

The team explained that retinomorphic systems that can see, recognize, and respond to real-time environmental information could extend the complexity and range of tasks that an exoskeleton robot can perform to better assist physically disabled people. However, the lack of ultrasensitive, reconfigurable, and large-scale integratable retinomorphic devices and advanced edge-processing algorithms makes it difficult to realize retinomorphic hardware.

Researchers from Huaqiao University, City University of Hong Kong and Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have explained that highly efficient perovskite solar cells in the n-i-p structure demonstrated limited operational lifetimes earlier due to the layer-to-layer ion diffusion in perovskite/doped hole-transport layer (HTL) heterojunction, leading to conductivity drop in HTL and component loss in perovskites. Now, they have reached 26.39% efficiency of perovskite solar cells using an ultrathin (~7 nm) p-type polymeric interlayer (D18) with excellent ion-blocking ability between perovskite and HTL to address these issues.

Device architecture, the structure of D18 polymer, and the detailed ion blocking effect of D18 membrane. Image credit: Nature Communications

The ultrathin D18 interlayer effectively inhibits the layer-to-layer diffusion of lithium, methylammonium, formamidium, and iodide ions. Additionally, D18 improves the energy-level alignment at the perovskite/HTL interface and facilitates efficient hole extraction. 

Researchers from City University of Hong Kong have introduced a novel and durable 2D thermochromic perovskite, Tha₂MAPbI₄ (TMPI, Tha = thiourea, MA = methylamine), wherein Tha acts as a Lewis acid-base adduct. TMPI demonstrates a reversible transition, achieving 83.7% luminous transmittance in the cold state and 35.2% in the hot state, thereby showcasing a substantial solar modulation ability of 24.7%. 

The background for this development is that despite growing interest in thermochromic metal halide perovskite (MHPs) for smart window applications, existing MHP smart windows predominantly feature 3D perovskite, which exhibits a deficiency in environmental stability, presenting persistent challenges for practical applications. 

Saule Technologies has announced that it will work with H.I.S. Co., Ltd. and Lawson, Inc. to start a pilot demonstration using film-type perovskite solar cells at "Green Lawson" from Monday, December 16, 2024.

Lawson is a large chain of retail grocery stores based in Japan, and it was stated that the cooperation will include Perovskite Electronic Shelf Labels and Power Generation Panels.

Radiation detectors, which convert radiation into measurable light signals, currently come in fixed shapes like blocks or cylinders because they are made by growing crystals at extremely high temperatures – around 1700 °C. These rigid shapes make it difficult to measure radiation doses accurately around irregularly shaped tumors or in tight spaces. Previous attempts to create detectors in custom shapes have focused on plastic materials that can be easily molded, but these plastic detectors perform poorly because they lack the heavy elements needed to efficiently capture radiation. Scientists have tried mixing metal particles into plastics to improve their detection ability, but this often results in uneven distribution of the particles and poor overall performance.

A research team from several institutions in Italy and Switzerland has now developed a new approach using stereolithography (SLA), a precise form of 3D printing that builds objects by hardening light-sensitive liquid materials layer by layer. This marks the first successful use of SLA to fabricate 3D-printed scintillators, a breakthrough in radiation detection technology. The team mixed microscopic crystals of cesium lead bromide (Cs₄PbBr₆), a perovskite material, into a liquid resin that hardens when exposed to ultraviolet light. Perovskites have gained significant attention in recent years because they efficiently convert various forms of energy into light. Their crystal structure, which contains heavy elements like lead, makes them particularly effective at detecting radiation.