Scientists can now make more efficient and longer-lasting solar cells by adding a synthetic molecule.
As Tech Xplore shared, an international collaboration of researchers affiliated with universities in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia discovered this new way to improve perovskite solar cells.
The researchers developed an ionic salt called CPMAC, which is synthesized from a black solid comprised of carbon atoms known as C60 — with the nickname "buckminsterfullerene," named after the architect Buckminster Fuller, because its shape looks similar to the geodesic domes he made famous. Although C60 is efficient, scientists have been searching for alternative materials to enhance solar cells' stability and performance.
The researchers found that CPMAC improved solar cells' electronic properties and had greater power conversion efficiency than previous models.
They published their findings in the journal Science and described the significance of this solar cell advancement. Even energy efficiency improvements of less than 1% can be enough to power thousands more residential homes.
One contributing research scientist, Hongwei Zhu, said, "When we deal with the scale of a typical power station, the additional electricity generated even from a fraction of a percentage point is quite significant."
The researchers assembled solar cell modules to serve as simplified versions of solar panels to test their theories.
The new molecule incorporated into the design demonstrated significant improvements compared to standard C60 solar cells. They attributed these improvements to their molecule's ability to create ionic bonds with the perovskite and reduce electron transfer layer defects.
Solar cell efficiency developments are critical because they promote better and more affordable ways to harness the sun's renewable energy.
Another study introduced promising efficiency improvements by combining perovskite and silicon. Scientists have also invented a hybrid material to convert low-energy light to high-energy light and developed a pulse-shaped light method to boost conductivity to improve solar efficiency.
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Sign me up 👍 These advancements could lead to the widespread adoption of clean energy to power our homes and businesses. They can also help reduce our reliance on polluting energy sources while saving homeowners money on utility bills.
Looking ahead, the researchers want to test their results to explore the molecule's solution deposition potential.
"This CPMAC layer can be deposited by solution processing, which is attractive for large-scale manufacturing," Zhu said. "We plan to further develop the solution processing conditions and integrate this new material in large module platforms."
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