Scientists simplify the procedure of producing perovskite solar cells by coating several layers at the same time

• Scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), City University of Hong Kong, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), University of Kentucky, University of Colorado, University of Toledo as well as Brown University have actually created a concept that simplifies the process of manufacturing perovskite solar cells, which can increase their path towards commercialization.

Perovskite solar cells are made by sequentially transferring different layers onto a conductive glass substrate, requiring several coatings to create the necessary complete tool structure. The new method eliminates or integrates a few of those actions, therefore simplifying the production process, which can cause reduced manufacturing costs.

Perovskite solar cells are made up of a perovskite light-absorbing layer and adjacent layers that remove favorable and unfavorable costs on opposite sides of the perovskite when light is absorbed. Among these layers, called the hole-transport layer (HTL), is utilized to extract favorable charges. Perovskites can be made without an HTL, yet such gadgets' efficiency drags that of the full perovskite solar cell tool structures.

The research study team produced a high-efficiency solar cell that preserved greater than 90% of the preliminary effectiveness after 1,200 hours of continuous procedure.

Xiaopeng Zheng, a postdoctoral scientist in the Chemistry as well as Nanoscience Center at NREL, reports on how a one-step solution-coating treatment enabled two different layers, particularly the HTL and perovskite absorber, of a solar cell to automatically form with only one coating action, removing the separate hole-transport layer fabrication. Instead, the chemical services create "a durable self-assembled monolayer simultaneously as an excellent hole-selective contact while the perovskite takes shape."

Zheng stated the new, simplified process to make the HTL as well as perovskite simultaneously minimizes the number of coating and heating actions and also removes the requirement for pricey HTL products.

" It is challenging to uniformly manufacture a thin HTL layer using the scalable option method, and this may be additionally an obstacle to commercialization," Zheng stated. "Our approach might likewise avoid this problem."

He approximated that removing the steps formerly required to develop the HTL and then needing to heat it up might reduce the solution-processing time by a 3rd.

" Even if we didn't save a lot of time here, it brings about the notion that the manufacturing procedure could be reevaluated with this new concept in mind," stated Joseph Luther, a corresponding writer of the paper and also senior research study other within the Materials, Chemical, and Computational Science directorate at NREL. "Several processing actions could be incorporated; layers might automatically develop. I'm not yet sure how one might coat all the layers at once, yet this highlights that perhaps it could be done."

" While the initial discovery of the procedure was made at NREL, the co-authors from different other institutions locate the exact same results and reinforced the findings," Zheng said. "We found as well as proved the concept at NREL, and quite a few other teams expanded this finding to be extra universal with different perovskite structures, HTLs, different solvents as well as various other coating designs. Such collaborated efforts are welcomed in the perovskite field. Our team believe this will certainly permit this work to gain greater fostering."