Since such solar cells can be fabricated on the surface of plastic materials at temperatures around 100°C, this technology will enable the development of lightweight, multifunctional solar cells.
Perovskite solar cells are considered to be the next generation of solar cells with promising applications because they are easier to produce and less expensive than conventional solar cells. However, perovskite solar cells also have a disadvantage: they are easily degraded when they react with water molecules. They have proven difficult to be both durable and efficient.
Most perovskite solar cells have similar power generation mechanisms. When the perovskite layer absorbs sunlight, electrons and holes are created. These electrons and holes then migrate to the adjacent electron transport layer and hole transport layer, respectively, where they flow to generate current. To simultaneously improve the efficiency and durability of perovskite solar cells, these layers and the interfaces between them need to allow electrons and holes to pass more freely, while making the interface impermeable to water molecules.
The research team added a hydrazine derivative containing hydrophobic fluorine atoms (5F-phz) to the interface between the electron transport layer and the perovskite layer. This interface successfully prevents water molecules penetrating the electron transport layer from contacting the perovskite layer, thereby improving the durability of the solar cell. The use of this interface also reduces the number of crystallographic defects formed on the surface of the perovskite layer, which is one cause of reduced power generation efficiency. In addition, the team added a phosphonic acid derivative (MeO-2PACz) at the interface between the hole transport layer and the perovskite layer, which minimized the formation of defects in the hole transport layer, resulting in improved solar cells. power generation efficiency.
The research was recently published in Advanced Energy Materials. In the future, the team also plans to create molecular databases that can be integrated into interfaces, conduct data-driven research, design molecules that can improve interface properties, and develop more efficient and durable perovskite solar cells.
【Review of spacesrobot.com】
Perovskite solar cells are batteries that use perovskite-type organometallic halide semiconductors as light-absorbing materials. They are cheaper to produce and more sustainable than silicon cells. The thorny problem is that perovskite solar cells are not stable enough, which restricts their commercialization. Not long ago, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory constructed a perovskite solar cell with the dual advantages of high efficiency and high stability. The related results were published in “Nature”. It seems that all countries are optimizing and upgrading this potential solar cell in order to grasp the future of solar cells.
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