Perovskite photo voltaic cells developed at EPFL
Picture: EPFL
Whereas the excessive conversion effectivity achieved by perovskite photo voltaic cell supplies has attracted a lot consideration lately, the related sensitivity to warmth and moisture nonetheless presents a problem to commercialization.
Many components, encapsulants and barrier layers have been proposed to repair this, however understanding the precise mechanisms that happen throughout the materials that causes harm involved with warmth and water might open the way in which to a extra complete resolution. That is the purpose of scientists led by École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland and Sungkyunkwan College in South Korea, who appeared carefully on the crystal construction of a perovskite to seek out out what occurred.
The workforce examined completely different options – flat surfaces on the floor of the crystal. Their outcomes are printed within the paper Unveiling facet-dependent degradation and aspect engineering for secure perovskite photo voltaic cells, printed in Science. The workforce discovered a standard function, the 100 function, which it described as “perpendicular to a crystal’s c-axis with its atoms organized in a repeating sample within the form of a sq. grid”, particularly unstable when uncovered to moisture.
One other element, named 111 and described as “atoms organized in a triangular grid,” has been proven to be extra moisture resistant. And the group got down to create a brand new perovskite movie that grows with greater than 111 sides and fewer than 100. The group makes use of the movies to make photo voltaic cells that obtain 23.8% effectivity, and it maintains 85% of its preliminary efficiency afterwards. 800 hours below take a look at circumstances of 85% humidity and a temperature of 85 C, whereas a management pattern fell to 75% of its preliminary efficiency worth below the identical circumstances.
The group says that numerous optimizations ought to have the ability to enhance the PV efficiency of the newly engineered perovskite, and that it hopes that this sort of aspect engineering will likely be a helpful instrument within the improvement of perovskite photo voltaic cells. cell that meets market expectations for efficiency and longevity.
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