Unique method to produce lead halide perovskite solar cells with record efficiency

• In a joint effort between Pavia University (Italy) as well as the Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden at Technische Universität Dresden (Germany), scientists created a novel method to make lead halide perovskite solar cells with record performance. Results have been published in Science Advances.

Steel halide perovskites have been under extreme investigation over the last decade because of the amazing rise in their performance in optoelectronic devices such as solar cells or light-emitting diodes. The most reliable devices, fabricated in the supposed 'common design' typically include handling actions done at high temperature, thus boosting their energy repayment time and restricting the possibility to incorporate them in emerging applications such as adaptable and also wearable electronics. An alternate tool architecture-- described the 'inverted architecture'-- removes the need for heat handling, but normally leads to a reduced solar efficiency.

The method is based on a modification of the user interfaces of the perovskite energetic layer by introducing small amounts of organic halide salts at both the bottom and the top of the perovskite layer. Such organic halide salts, normally made use of for the development of two-dimensional perovskites, brought about the suppression of microstructural flaws and passivation of the flaws of the perovskite layer. Utilizing this technique, the team has actually accomplished a power conversion efficiency of 23.7%-- the highest possible reported to day for an inverted design perovskite solar cell.

"Notably, the enhancement in efficiency is accompanied by a boost in device stability," claims Prof. Giulia Grancini, an associate teacher of chemistry at the University of Pavia. Thinking about that stability continues to be one of the crucial hurdles for the commercialization of perovskite solar cells, the synchronised improvement of efficiency and also stability is especially encouraging.

"The fact that our devices are fabricated at low temperature levels of less than 100 ° C and that our method is completely suitable to the construction of huge location tools takes us one action closer to massive application of perovskite solar cells" includes Prof. Yana Vaynzof, Chair for Emerging Electronic Technologies at the Institute for Applied Physics and Photonic Materials as well as the Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed).

The record effectiveness accomplished by the scientists brings perovskite solar cells to new frontiers. Taking into consideration the boosted stability as well as the scalability of the novel technique, it's only an issue of time up until perovskite solar cells can be found on every roof.