Solar cell scientists working with two-dimensional structures have announced a breakthrough that greatly reduces defects while achieving high energy-conversion efficiency.
The research is aimed at expediting the commercialization of promising perovskite solar panels, widely regarded as a next-generation suncatcher, according to a news release.
The project's description seems fit for a Science Channel program. Experts from the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, among other institutions, developed a thin, 2D perovskite "phase" that's buried in 3D perovskite cells, improving crystallization and reducing defects.
They accomplished this by grafting thioglycolic acid and oleylamine onto the surface of tin dioxide, creating a strong chemical bond during perovskite film thermal annealing and "enabling the spontaneous formation of a 2D/3D perovskite heterostructure solely at the film's bottom interface," according to the release. The result is a heterojunction, an interface between two different semiconductor materials.
Outside the lab — and the cell — the work could ultimately have significant benefits for panel users.
That's because the team reported a more than 90% reduction in defects in buried cell interfaces, translating to longer lifespans. What's more, the power conversion efficiency rate was marked at between 22.22% for "large-area modules" for commercial use and an impressive 26.19% for "small-area devices." According to TCD partner EnergySage, which has a platform like Expedia.com for solar panels, the top of the current small-area residential market has about a 23% efficiency rate.
"These values rank among the highest efficiencies reported to date for small-sized [perovskite solar cells] and modules based on 2D/3D perovskite heterojunctions," study first author Qiangqiang Zhao said in the press release.
So while experts at EnergySage have said that the top silicon-based solar panels on the commercial market already have a 22.5% to 23% efficiency with great longevity, perovskite cells have even more efficiency potential. Solar Magazine reported in 2022 that the highest recorded perovskite cell efficiency rate was at around 30% — and the highest efficiencies for certain perovskite-based cells are still in the 25% to 30% range, according to data from the National Laboratory of the Rockies.
However, degradation has historically limited perovskite cell lifespans to only a few years at best, while common silicon can last for decades, which means that as much as the science is advancing, the current market for residential rooftop solar is likely to remain full of good deals that are unlikely to be surpassed in any major way over the coming years.
The Qingdao-led researchers' 2D/3D innovation could help prevent the decay and create more stable end products.
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Other research groups are developing silicon-perovskite tandem cells and other combination cells to try to capitalize on the best aspects of different materials. It's part of ongoing research on perovskite-based cells to bring the highly regarded substance to market.
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At Qingdao, expanding the success for scaled manufacturing is among the next goals, the researchers said.
"It brings the commercialization … significantly closer to realization," Pang said in the release.
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