Technical / research - Page 2

Researchers from the University of Cambridge, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley, have developed a novel way to make hydrocarbons – powered solely by the sun.

a) Architecture of the tandem PEC device. b) A schematic illustration of the nanoporous electrode. Image credit: Nature Catalysis

The device they developed combines a light absorbing ‘leaf’ made from a perovskite solar cell, with a copper nanoflower catalyst, to convert carbon dioxide into useful molecules. Unlike most metal catalysts, which can only convert CO₂ into single-carbon molecules, the copper flowers enable the formation of more complex hydrocarbons with two carbon atoms, such as ethane and ethylene — key building blocks for liquid fuels, chemicals and plastics.

The controlled growth of two-dimensional (2D) perovskites on top of three-dimensional (3D) perovskite films can improve the performance and stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) by reducing interfacial recombination and impeding ion migration. However, the random orientation of the spontaneously formed 2D phase atop the pre-deposited 3D perovskite film can deteriorate charge extraction owing to energetic disorder, limiting the maximum attainable efficiency and long-term stability of the PSCs. 

Schematic illustrating the reorientation of the 2D-MAP perovskite during and after the post-dripping process. Image credit: Nature Communications

Recently, an international team of scientists, including ones from Saudi Arabia’s KAUST, Korea University and the Chinese Academy of Science, developed a meta-amidinopyridine ligand and the solvent post-dripping step to generate a highly ordered 2D perovskite phase on the surface of a 3D perovskite film. 

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Hebei University of Science and Technology, Hebei University of Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Anhui Institute of Innovation for Industrial Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei University of Technology and Liaocheng University have used Lauramide (LA) molecules on perovskite films as a surface modification layer. As a result, the team demonstrated a multifunctional surface molecular modification strategy to develop high-efficiency perovskite solar cells. 

By depositing the layer of LA molecule, the defects on the perovskite surface were successfully passivated. LA can form hydrogen bonds with iodide ions (I⁻) and promote anchoring to impede the migration of I⁻ inside the crystal structure. The lone electron pair of the carbonyl (C=O) functional group in LA can also coordinate with the uncoordinated lead ions (Pb²⁺) or lead clusters (Pb0), which effectively reduces the non-radiative recombination caused by surface defects. 

While quasi-2D perovskites made with organic spacers co-crystallized with inorganic cesium lead bromide can enable near unity photoluminescence quantum yield at room temperature, LEDs made with such quasi-2D perovskites tend to degrade rapidly - which remains a major bottleneck in this field.

Now, researchers from SUNY University at Buffalo, Texas A&M University, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Missouri University of Science and Technology, National Taiwan University and Yonsei University have shown that the bright emission originates from finely tuned multi-component 2D nano-crystalline phases that are thermodynamically unstable.

Researchers from China's Beihang University, Beijing Institute of Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Zhijing Nanotech (Beijing) have reported the spray-drying fabrication of perovskite quantum dot (PQD) microspheres from a precursor solution at a scale of 2000 kg∙a⁻¹. 

The obtained PQDs were embedded in polymer microspheres, resulting in a high photoluminescence quantum yield and enhanced stability. By controlling the precursor concentration, the average size of the polymer microspheres can be tuned from 41 to 0.44 μm. The as-prepared PQD-embedded polymer microspheres were mixed with ultraviolet adhesive to fabricate PQD-enhanced optical films for liquid crystal display (LCD) backlights. 

Researchers from Sweden's Linköping University, China's Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Hunan University and Jilin University have demonstrated bright perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) with a peak radiance of 2409 W sr⁻¹ m⁻² and negligible current-efficiency roll-off, maintaining high external quantum efficiency over 20% even at current densities as high as 2270 mA cm⁻². 

Device configuration and cross-sectional SEM image of the PeLED. Image from: Nature Communications

One of the key advantages of perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) is their potential to achieve high performance at much higher current densities compared to conventional solution-processed emitters. However, state-of-the-art PeLEDs have not yet reached this potential, often suffering from severe current-efficiency roll-off under intensive electrical excitations. The team's new work hopes to help tackle this obstacle. 

Miniaturizing LEDs is crucial for creating ultra-high-resolution displays. Metal-halide perovskites show potential for efficient light emission, long-distance carrier transport, and scalable production of bright micro-LED displays. However, current thin-film perovskites face issues with uneven light emission and surface instability during lithography, making them unsuitable for micro-LED devices. There's a strong need for continuous single-crystal perovskite films with minimal grain boundaries, stable surfaces, and uniform optical properties for micro-LEDs. Yet, growing these films and integrating them into devices remains a challenge.

Remote epitaxial crystalline perovskites for ultrahigh resolution micro-LED displays. Image credit: Chinese Academy of Sciences

Recently, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China and Jilin University made significant progress in this field. The team developed a novel method for the remote epitaxial growth of continuous crystalline perovskite thin films, that allows for seamless integration into ultrahigh-resolution micro-LEDs with pixels less than 5 μm.

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.

Researchers from the University of Twente, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, AMOLF, Universidad Andres Bello and University of Oxford have developed a way to create highly ordered semiconductor material at room temperature, that could make optoelectronics more efficient by controlling the crystal structure and reducing the number of defects at the nanoscale.

The team focused on metal halide perovskites. Making these materials with one single orientation (or in other words with highly ordered grains) has been a challenge and thus far, they have mainly been used in the non-ordered polycrystalline form. This can limit their use in applications such as LEDs, where high order and low density of defects are needed. Normally, these highly ordered semiconductors require high processing temperatures. But in this new process, the researchers skip the heat and build up the material layer by layer using a pulsed laser.

Researchers from China's Hebei University of Technology, Fudan University, Fuyang Normal University, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Macau University of Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology and France's CNRS have reported an innovative passivation strategy that is said to enable record power conversion rates and enhanced operational longevity of single junction and tandem perovskite solar cells (PSCs).

The team has developed this innovative strategy to address the issue of interfacial trap-assisted nonradiative recombination, which has been known to hinder the performance of perovskite-based photovoltaic technologies. The new passivator is identified as L-valine benzyl ester p-toluenesulfonate (VBETS) and using it under optimal conditions yielded PSCs that achieved a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 26.28%.