The majority of monolithic perovskite/Si tandem solar cells (TSCs) have been built on heterojunction (HJT) Si solar cells, which have seen limited industrial uptake due to manufacturing cost and concern over the viability of metal electrodes and transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) incorporating expensive elements. Recently, researchers from The Australian National University, University of Melbourne and University of New South Wales demonstrated that high efficiencies of perovskite/Si TSCs can be achieved with Si bottom cells based on a double-side poly-Si/Si dioxide (SiO₂) passivating contact (poly-Si cell) without silver or transparent conductive oxides (TCOs), fabricated using mass-production techniques. 

In addition, a novel low-absorption, dopant-free bilayer-structured hole transport layer (HTL) composed of ultra-thin poly(N,N′-bis-4-butylphenyl-N,N′-bisphenyl)benzidine (Poly-TPD) and 2,2′,7,7′-tetra(N,N-di-p-tolyl)amino-9,9-spirobifluorene (Spiro-TTB) double layers was developed for the perovskite top cell, which passivates the perovskite surface and enhances the near-interface conductivity, thus increasing the open-circuit voltage and fill factor. 

Researchers at NREL have examined how metal halide perovskite photovoltaics (MHP-PV) could scale a sustainable supply chain while appreciably contributing to a global renewable energy transition. They evaluated the critical material concerns, embodied energy, carbon impacts and circular supply chain processes of MHP-PVs. 

Perovskite-based solar panels may play an important role amid global decarbonization efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As the technology emerges from the testing stages, scientists are assessing how best to design the solar panels to minimize their impact on the environment decades from now.

Researchers from the U.S and Ghana recently examined the fracture behavior of Perovskite Light Emitting Devices (PLEDs), emphasizing the importance of interfacial toughness in device performance. This can influence future materials and interface engineering strategies in optoelectronic devices.

Understanding the interfacial fracture toughness of PLEDs can guide the design of more robust devices by improving the adhesion between layers and reducing defect propagation. This can lead to enhanced performance and durability of PLEDs.

Researchers at Hong Kong Baptist University, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Yale University have revealed the existence of surface concavities on individual crystal grains that are the fundamental blocks of perovskite thin films, and examined their significant effects on the film properties and reliability. 

Based on this discovery, the team designed a new way of making perovskite solar cells (PSCs) more efficient and stable via a chemo-elimination of these grain surface concavities.

Researchers from China's Shaanxi Normal University, Zhejiang Normal University, China Institute of Radiation Protection and Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed lead-free photoferroelectric hybrid metal halide perovskite flexible membranes for wearable detectors, that offer excellent X-ray response with high sensitivities, low detection limit and impressive imaging capabilities. 

Demonstration and application potential for lead-free photoferroelectric perovskite membrane (LFPPM). a) Optical images of the LFPPM. b) Schematic diagram of LFPPM wearable X-ray dosimeter. c) Schematic diagram of the working principle of wearable X-ray dosimeter. (Image credit: Nanowerk)

High-sensitivity wearable radiation detectors are important for personnel protection in radiation environments such as defense, nuclear facilities, and medical fields. Traditional detectors using bulk crystals tend to lack flexibility. Hybrid metal halide perovskites have shown promise for next-generation radiation detection as they can efficiently absorb high-energy radiation and convert it into electrical signals. However, there are concerns of lead toxicity. More recent efforts have explored lead-free alternatives, but these have generally suffered from poor charge transport properties, reducing their effectiveness as radiation detectors.

Prominent U.S solar panel maker, First Solar (Nasdaq: FSLR), is reportedly building a new research and development (R&D) innovation center in Lake Township, Ohio, believed to be the largest facility of its kind in the Western Hemisphere - The Jim Nolan Center for Solar Innovation. The new center is part of an approximately half-billion dollar investment by First Solar in R&D infrastructure, and the company expects to also commission a perovskite development line at its Perrysburg, Ohio, campus in the second half of 2024. 

The facility covers 1.3 million square feet and includes a high-tech pilot manufacturing line allowing for the production of full-sized prototypes of thin film and tandem PV modules. Prior to the commissioning of the Jim Nolan Center, First Solar utilized a manufacturing line at its Perrysburg facility for its late-stage product development efforts. This arrangement limited the flexibility for development efforts and created constraints when mission-critical tools had to go offline. By resolving these limitations and constraints, the new facility is expected to accelerate innovation cycles.

INPEX CORPORATION, a large Japanese exploration and production (E&P) company, has announced it has made an investment in EneCoat Technologies, a Kyoto University-based startup company that develops next-generation perovskite solar cells. This is part of a series C round that totaled in 5.5 billion yen (around USD$35 million) and was led by Toyota’s growth fund, Woven Capital and and Mitsubishi HC Capital (in addition to INPEX). Existing investors Mirai Creation Fund III and Kyoto University Innovation Capital participated in the round, bringing the total funding raised to over 8 billion yen (over USD$50 million).

As perovskite solar cells use iodine compounds as raw materials, INPEX is well positioned to tap synergies in terms of raw material supply through its operations at the Naruto Gas Field in Chiba Prefecture, a water-soluble gas field where subsurface brine water is used to produce iodine following the extraction of natural gas.

Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have reported a systematic study on the degradation mechanisms of p–i–n structure perovskite solar cells (PSCs) under reverse bias. Reverse bias is a phenomenon that can occur when, for example, an individual cell is shaded and other cells in the module try to push a higher current through it, increasing the temperature and potential damage to the cells. These conditions make solar cells unstable and deteriorate their performance over time.

The team's new strategy could improve the stability of PSCs under reverse bias conditions and facilitate the future deployment of perovskite-based photovoltaics (PVs) in real-world settings.

Singapore-based startup Singfilm Solar has announced it achieved a power conversion efficiency of 22.6% for a p-i-n structure perovskite solar panel. The result was said to be confirmed by China's National PV Industry Measurement and Testing Center (NPVM). 

The design of the mini modules includes eight sub-cells connected in series on a 55 mm × 55 mm substrate, each sub-cell with a width of 5.6 mm. Each sub-cell within the module reportedly demonstrates impressive performance metrics with an open-circuit voltage of 1.169 V, a short-circuit current of 25 mA/cm², and a fill factor of 77.4%.

Yayoi Takamura, professor and chair of materials science and engineering at the University of California, Davis, and researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have designed deep-learning model ensembles, a method in machine learning involving multiple neural networks, to investigate the magnetic behavior of perovskite oxide multilayers.

Perovskite oxides are gaining attention for use in next-generation magnetic and ferroelectric devices due to their exceptional charge transport properties and the opportunity to tune the different properties of electrons and atoms, including charge, spin, lattice and orbital degrees of freedom. While the materials may offer a pathway for innovative designs in perovskite oxide-based devices, the atomic-level compositions of the interfaces between perovskite oxides are unknown, therefore hindering the establishment of design principles using these materials. With this new model, the researchers investigated the effects of composition and process parameters on the magnetic behavior of perovskite oxide multilayers.