Technology Frontier: New Printing Technology Improves the Stability of Perovskite Solar Cells

In order to improve the stability and efficiency of perovskite solar cells, a research team from the University of Arizona has developed a new printing process called Restricted Area Printing by Ink Drawing, or RAPID for short.

The researchers pointed out that this relatively new technology is still very unstable, so perovskite has not been used more widely. Experts emphasized that their innovation can overcome this instability.

Adam Printz, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering at the University of Arizona, and his team (including Erin Ratcliff, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering and Neal Armstrong, emeritus professor in the Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Optical Sciences) received the award from the Office of Solar Energy Technology (SETO) of the Department of Energy. ) A three-year grant worth 700,000 U.S. dollars for the project.

Printz was selected for SETO’s 2020 Perovskite Funding Program. This plan focuses on developing affordable solar energy at a faster rate, achieving the United States’ clean energy goals and creating domestic jobs.

The researchers pointed out that the perovskite produced in the laboratory has the same crystal structure as minerals, with light guiding properties and the ability to be made into inks.

The latter feature allows perovskites to be printed on flexible plastic sheets, similar to the way newspapers are printed. Experts emphasized that this feature can print high-efficiency, ultra-thin solar cells that are thin enough to be rolled up.

Printz and his team started the perovskite printing work at the end of 2019, and they used 3D printed parts to show how this mechanism works on a small scale. This funding allows the team to build a version of the project that can be upgraded.

To make the perovskite material, the research team spread a thin layer of special ink on a surface. After that, the ink is heated to shape the perovskite crystal structure. The researchers pointed out that the printed film exhibits several tiny particles separated by border regions. When placed under a high-power microscope, it looks like dry and cracked soil.

“These boundary areas can actually interact with the moisture in the air, allowing the perovskite to be transformed into a completely different material that does not absorb light. This will make the solar cell very bad,” “We want to minimize crystallinity. In this way, these reactions will not occur, and the perovskite will be more likely to remain in the form of the perovskite.”

The function of RAPID is to minimize the border area. Reducing the boundary area can improve stability and efficiency.

As part of the team’s work, Printz and his team aim to reduce the grain boundaries of perovskite solar cells by 90%. They also hope to increase the efficiency and stability of the battery by 50%.

Researchers also hope that as RAPID takes effect on a large scale, the production of perovskite will be positively affected, which will greatly improve the stability of low-cost, high-efficiency equipment.

SETO has always supported research focused on improving the efficiency and lifetime of organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells. SETO’s goal is to quickly commercialize perovskite solar technology and reduce manufacturing costs. According to SETO, the conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells has improved rapidly, from about 3% in 2006 to more than 25% today. Although perovskite solar cells will achieve high efficiency in a short period of time, there are still some challenges before they become a competitive commercial technology. Mercom has been continuously reporting innovations and breakthroughs in the improvement of perovskite technology.

Recently, a team from Brown University stated that they have developed a molecular glue that can improve the efficiency of perovskite solar cells. Researchers at the Gwangju Institute of Technology in South Korea have also developed a new method to improve the efficiency of perovskite solar cells by using ions.

Source: Shanghai Kinmachi New Material Technology organized from the Internet

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