Solar Energy
CityUHK Develops Advanced Passivator for Stable Perovskite Solar Cells
CityUHK Develops Advanced Passivator for Stable Perovskite Solar Cells
by Simon Mansfield
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jul 23, 2024
City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) has recently developed an innovative passivator that significantly enhances the stability and efficiency of perovskite solar cells, marking a major advancement in solar energy technology.
This new passivator, a type of corrosion inhibitor, utilizes dynamic covalent bonds that activate when exposed to moisture and heat, allowing it to generate new passivators in response to environmental conditions. This capability enables real-time repair and maintenance of perovskite solar cells, similar to sustained-release capsules in pharmaceuticals that continuously release chemicals to heal defects caused by environmental stressors.
The team’s research was published in the journal Nature under the title “Water- and heat-activated dynamic passivation for perovskite photovoltaics”.
The project is led by Professor Feng Shien-ping, from the Department of Systems Engineering and Associate Dean in the College of Engineering at CityUHK, in collaboration with Professor Henry J. Snaith at the University of Oxford and Professor Angus Yip Hin-lap, Associate Director of the Hong Kong Institute for Clean Energy at CityUHK.
Perovskite solar cells are renowned for their efficiency in converting sunlight into electricity, positioning them as a promising candidate for next-generation solar panels. However, their long-term storage and operational stability remain concerns. Various passivation strategies have been developed to enhance their performance and reliability, but addressing new defects caused by exposure to water and heat over time remains a challenge.
The CityUHK-led team’s extensive experiments have demonstrated that their passivator significantly improves the performance and durability of perovskite solar cells. They have achieved a photovoltaic conversion efficiency of over 25% and maintained operational stability for more than 1,000 hours under high temperatures and humid conditions.
“Applying a living passivator on the perovskite surfaces enhances their resistance to environmental factors like moisture and heat. This improves the stability of perovskite solar cells in hot and humid conditions, introducing a dynamic, responsive approach to environmental stressors,” explained Dr. Wang Weiting, the first author of the study and a Research Associate on Professor Feng’s team.
Professor Feng highlighted that the inspiration for this technology came from observing how plants and other living organisms remain resilient to varying weather conditions, unlike perovskite solar cells which can degrade within months.
“The key difference lies in the ability of living organisms to regenerate and heal evolving defects. By incorporating a passivation mechanism that dynamically heals during operation, we can potentially unlock this regenerative concept for perovskite or other electronic devices,” said Professor Feng.
CityUHK is working with industry partners to apply this technology to address ionic migration and instability in perovskite solar cells during manufacturing and operation stages. The team believes that enhancing the stability and reliability of these solar cells could make them more commercially viable. This technology also holds potential for other applications, such as anti-oxidation and interfacial contact engineering in microelectronic devices.
Research Report:Water- and heat-activated dynamic passivation for perovskite photovoltaics
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DGIST enhances quantum dot solar cell performance
by Riko Seibo
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Oct 04, 2024
A research team led by Professor Jongmin Choi from the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at DGIST, in collaboration with Gyeongsang National University’s Professor Tae Kyung Lee and Kookmin University’s Professor Younghoon Kim, has developed a new method that significantly boosts the performance and longevity of perovskite quantum dot solar cells. Their innovative approach addresses a key issue: surface distortions on quantum dots that hinder solar cell efficiency.
Perovskite quantum dots are widely regarded as essential for next-generation solar cells due to their high light-to-electricity conversion efficiency and scalability. However, the process of replacing the “ligands” on their surface often causes distortions, akin to crumpled paper, that degrade solar cell performance.
The research team tackled this problem by introducing short ligands that firmly grip both sides of the quantum dots. This method effectively restores the quantum dot’s distorted surface, resembling the process of flattening crumpled paper. By smoothing the surface, they significantly reduced defects and improved both the performance and the stability of the solar cells. The power conversion efficiency rose from 13.6% to 15.3%, and the cells maintained 83% of their performance over 15 days, marking a major advancement in solar cell technology.
“Through this research, we could minimize surface defects on the quantum dots and stabilize their surfaces by newly adopting these amphiphilic ligands, thereby significantly improving the efficiency and stability of the solar cells,” explained Professor Jongmin Choi. He also noted the team’s intention to extend this approach to other photoelectric devices in the future.
This study, a collaborative effort by DGIST, Gyeongsang National University, and Kookmin University, was supported by the National Research Council of Science and Technology, the DGIST R and D Program, and the New Faculty Research Foundation at Gyeongsang National University. The findings were published in the ‘Chemical Engineering Journal’ on September 15, 2024.
Research Report:Multifaceted anchoring ligands for uniform orientation and enhanced cubic-phase stability of perovskite quantum dots
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Philippines’ Marcos opens first EV battery plant
by AFP Staff Writers
Manila (AFP) Sept 30, 2024
President Ferdinand Marcos inaugurated on Monday the first factory for electric vehicle batteries in the Philippines, calling it the “future” of clean energy.
The Australian-owned lithium-iron-phosphate factory aims to produce two gigawatt-hours of batteries per year by 2030, powering about 18,000 electric vehicles or nearly half a million home battery systems.
“We have worked very hard and tried to do our best to bring this kind of technology to the Philippines with a clear recognition that this is the future,” Marcos said in a livestreamed speech.
“As the first manufacturing plant in the Philippines for advanced iron phosphate batteries… (it) sets the stage for the Philippines to become a player in clean energy storage in our part of the world.”
Located in New Clark city north of Manila, the StB Giga Factory Inc. facility will create 2,500 local jobs and channel five billion pesos ($89.2 million) into the economy each year, Marcos said.
The investment aligns with the government’s efforts to “transition our country to renewable energy”, and would help Manila “entice more investors in renewable energy facilities in the country”, he added.
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Fire breaks out at Chinese battery giant CATL plant
by AFP Staff Writers
Beijing (AFP) Sept 29, 2024
A fire broke out Sunday at a factory belonging to Chinese battery giant CATL, which supplies electric vehicle makers including Tesla, but only a “relatively small” impact on operations is expected, the company said.
A CATL spokesperson said no injuries or casualties had occurred at the plant in the coastal city of Ningde, and that “the reasons behind this accident are still under investigation”.
Emergency services were sent to the plant to fight the fire and to organise the evacuation of any people who were inside the 15,000 square metre (160,000 square feet) site, a statement by the Dongqiao Economic and Technological Development Zone said.
Firefighters were alerted to the blaze just before 11:30 AM local time (0330 GMT).
It was not immediately clear what was produced at the plant, CATL’s base in the eastern province of Fujian, but the company said the effect of the now extinguished fire would not be significant.
“The impact to CATL’s overall production operation is relatively small,” the spokesperson said.
Videos published by the Chinese business media outlet Cailianshe, and posted on the Weibo social network, showed parts of a large white building in flames with thick gray smoke rising into the air.
AFP could not immediately verify the authenticity of the images.
CATL was founded in 2011 and produces more than a third of the electric vehicle batteries sold worldwide for automakers that include Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen, Toyota, Honda and Hyundai.
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