Solar Energy
HKUST Researchers Unveil Hidden Structure for Enhanced Perovskite Solar Cells
HKUST Researchers Unveil Hidden Structure for Enhanced Perovskite Solar Cells
by Simon Mansfield
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jul 22, 2024
Researchers from the School of Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have discovered surface concavities on individual crystal grains in perovskite thin films. This fundamental discovery reveals significant effects on the properties and reliability of the films. Leveraging this knowledge, the team developed a new method to enhance the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells by eliminating these grain surface concavities.
Perovskite solar cells are a promising technology that could replace silicon solar cells across various applications, including grid electricity, portable power, and space photovoltaics. They offer higher power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) than commercial silicon cells and have advantages such as low material costs, sustainable manufacturing, and versatility in transparency and color. However, the stability of perovskite devices under light, humidity, and thermomechanical conditions has hindered their commercialization.
To tackle this challenge, Prof. ZHOU Yuanyuan, Associate Professor of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at HKUST, and his research group conducted a study focusing on the microstructure of materials. They discovered numerous surface concavities at the crystalline grains of the perovskite material. These concavities disrupt the structural continuity at the perovskite film interface, acting as a hidden microstructure factor that limits the efficiency and stability of perovskite cells.
The team innovatively removed the grain surface concavities using a surfactant molecule, tridecafluorohexane-1-sulfonic acid potassium, to manage strain evolution and ion diffusion during the formation of perovskite films. Consequently, their perovskite cells showed marked improvements in efficiency retention during standardized thermal cycling, damp heat, and maximum-power-point tracking tests.
“Structure and geometry of individual crystalline grains are the origin of the performance of perovskite semiconductors and solar cells. By unveiling the grain surface concavities, understanding their effects, and leveraging chemical engineering to tailor their geometry, we are pioneering a new way of making perovskite solar cells with efficiency and stability toward their limits,” said Prof. Zhou, the corresponding author of this work.
“We were very intrigued by the surface concavities of perovskite grains when we were using atomic force microscopy to examine the structural details of perovskite films. These concavities are usually buried underneath the film bottom and easily be overlooked,” he added.
“Microstructure is of vital importance for perovskite solar cells and other optoelectronic devices, and can be more complex than conventional materials owing to the hybrid organic-inorganic characteristics of perovskite materials. Under Prof. Zhou’s guidance, we are able to develop various novel characterization and data science approaches to gain insights into perovskite microstructure,” said ZHANG Yalan, a PhD student in Prof. Zhou’s research group and a co-author of this work.
The team’s research, titled “Elimination of Grain Surface Concavities for Improved Perovskite Thin-Film Interfaces,” has been published in the prestigious journal Nature Energy. The study was conducted in collaboration with Hong Kong Baptist University and Yale University.
Research Report:Elimination of grain surface concavities for improved perovskite thin-film interfaces
Related Links
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
All About Solar Energy at SolarDaily.com
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
Related Links
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.
Related Links
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.
ehl-reb/des
Related Links
-
Solar Energy3 years agoDLR testing the use of molten salt in a solar power plant in Portugal
-
world news11 months ago
Gulf, France aid Gaza, Russia evacuates citizens
-
Camera11 months agoDJI Air 3 vs. Mini 4 Pro: which compact drone is best?
-
Camera3 years agoCharles ‘Chuck’ Geschke, co-founder of Adobe and inventor of the PDF, dies at 81
-
Solar Energy11 months agoGlencore eyes options on battery recycling project
-
world news11 months ago
Strong majority of Americans support Israel-Hamas hostage deal
-
Camera11 months agoSony a9 III: what you need to know
-
TOP SCEINCE6 months agoCan animals count?
