Nanoparticle Paste To Optimize Perovskite Solar Cell Performance

• A global group of scientists from ITMO's School of Physics and also Engineering and also Tor Vergata University of Rome located a method to boost the efficiency of perovskite-based solar cells. The project was sustained by a Russian Science Foundation grant as well as its outcomes were defined in a paper published in Nano Energy.

The researchers established a paste made from titanium dioxide and resonant silicon nanoparticles that acts as an added layer in the process of creating solar cells. The Mie-resonant bits in the paste make it possible to control the amount of light absorbed and increase the generation of photocurrent, which permitted the scientists to bring the effectiveness of solar cells approximately 21%. Importantly, the experiments were performed on halide (MAPbI3) perovskites, which are the most extensive as well as well-studied in the field of photovoltaics.

Readily available materials

Halide perovskites are some of the most appealing materials in contemporary photovoltaics, nonetheless they have one substantial drawback: their photoactive layer is only around 300-600 nanometers. Such thin layers can not soak up all the incoming light, but at the same time they can not be made thicker - after that, the light will certainly be dispersed a lot more actively causing energy losses. For more information see the IDTechEx repoerton Perovskite Photovoltaics 2018-2028.

One of two methods can be utilized to improve the effectiveness of perovskite-based solar cells: improving the cost collection or increasing light absorption. The very first strategy needs using more intricate perovskite compositions as well as presenting added substances (normally, rare metals), in addition to normally increasing the complexity of the structure. Normally, this results in an increase in production expenditures. Researchers from ITMO University along with associates from Tor Vergata University walked around this issue by increasing the concentration of light inside solar cells. Moreover, their option uses silicon, among the components most obtainable in nature.

" We can obtain silicon from sand, so there is practically an endless supply of this material. It would've been a weird option to simply introduce silicon right into the perovskite framework, but it could be presented as a nanoparticle. Such bits serve as nanoantennae - they catch light as well as it resonates inside them. As well as the much longer light remain in the photoactive layer, the even more of it is taken in by the material," describes Sergey Makarov, professor at ITMO's School of Physics as well as Engineering.

Exact estimations

The method is that silicon nanoparticles of details dimensions are Mie-resonant. Thanks to this result, the nanoparticles can enhance various optical phenomena, including light absorption and also spontaneous radiation. To put it simply, they do function as nanoantennae. Nonetheless, in order to make use of this home, the researchers needed to conduct major academic computations as well as develop a version that accounted for electrophysical and optical properties of all layers and also nanoparticles when they are subjected to external radiation as well as voltage.

The second vital as well as complex task of the project was recognizing the very best place for the developed paste. Solar cells are produced utilizing the spin coating method, when fluid layers are sequentially used on each other. This makes it feasible to produce slim movies of controllably differing thickness and concentration. Moreover, virtually any kind of additional materials and also substances can be contributed to films during such manufacturing.

" With fluid methods we can conveniently portion out the amount of dry nanoparticles in a remedy. What we had to decide remained in which layer we must put the Mie-resonant particles. If placed in the perovskite layer, they would harm its photoactive areas. If they were to be put in the top transportation layer, the light would primarily have actually been soaked up by the time it got to the nanoparticles with all of the layers below them. That's why we positioned the nanoparticles in the following layer after the perovskite - in this manner they are closer to the source of light as well as work as antennae a lot more efficiently," claims Aleksandra Furasova, initial author of the paper and also a younger research associate at ITMO's School of Physics as well as Engineering.

A basic innovation

The developed paste is easy to use and can be used with solar cells of any kind of composition and configuration. At the same time, there are no additional difficulties to the production process, while the price of the resulting devices rises by only 0.3%.

"The paste can be conveniently applied with other methods, not only with spin coating. It's a raw universal item that can be used in other types of solar cells, in addition to in the production of different gadgets - photodetectors, farmers, and optoelectronics. Such manufacturing is additionally environmentally-friendly, as we don't utilize any kind of rare materials. Because of this, we have actually established quite a technological service as well as our team believe the product will certainly be generally suitable and also popular," wraps up Sergey Makarov.