Perovskite-Info: the perovskite experts

Perovskite-Info is a news hub and knowledge center born out of keen interest in the wide range of perovskite materials.

Perovskites are a class of materials that share a similar structure, which display a myriad of exciting properties like superconductivity, magnetoresistance and more. These easily synthesized materials are considered the future of solar cells, as their distinctive structure makes them perfect for enabling low-cost, efficient photovoltaics. They are also predicted to play a role in next-gen electric vehicle batteries, sensors, lasers and much more.

Recent Perovskite News

Researchers develop coating for improved wettability and enhanced carrier lifetimes in perovskite solar cells

Researchers from the University of Surrey, the University of Warwick and the University of New South Wales have reported a nanoscale “ink” coating of aluminum oxide on metal halide perovskite, that stabilizes the drop in energy output that presently plagues perovskite technology.

"In the past, metal oxides have been shown to either benefit or degrade the performance of perovskite solar cells. We’ve identified aluminum oxide which can improve performance and minimize the drop in efficiency during conditioning of perovskite solar cells", said Hashini Perera, Study Lead Author, University of Surrey.

Read the full story Posted: Sep 23,2023

Caelux partners with University of New South Wales on improving perovskite solar characterization and inspection methods

Caelux has announced its partnership with the University of New South Wales (UNSW, Sydney, Australia) ACDC Research Group on the ARENA-funded project, 'High-Throughput Inspection Methods for High-Efficiency Multijunction Solar Cells.' This solar cells project will aim to improve the commercial readiness of solar PV technologies and enable the next generation of solar innovation.

The Artificial Intelligence, Characterization, Defects, and Contacts (ACDC) Research Group at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a leader in photovoltaic luminescence imaging and applied machine learning (ML). This project aims to develop novel, contactless methods to characterize perovskite solar cells during process development and inline manufacturing, which will improve production yields and device performance, while taking into consideration the differences between silicon and perovskites. This collaboration will also undertake commercialization activities including: testing the techniques on pilot production lines and techno-economic analysis of the potential market for the developed inspection tools.

Read the full story Posted: Sep 20,2023

Fraunhofer team develops promising perovskite-based triple-junction solar cell

A research team at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE has reported a perovskite/perovskite/silicon triple-junction solar cell with an open circuit voltage of >2.8 V, which is said to be the record value reported for this structure so far. The Fraunhofer team showed that perovskite-perovskite-silicon subcells can hold considerable promise and have an even greater efficiency potential than double-junction tandem cells.

The triple-junction solar cell was developed as part of the Triumph research project funded by the European Commission and the RIESEN research project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. This achievement confirms that the cell has excellent material properties for generating electricity, leading the scientists to deduce that it has an efficient solar cell architecture.

Read the full story Posted: Sep 18,2023

Q&A with Yanek Hebting, General Manager at Greatcell Solar materials

Australia-based Greatcell Solar Materials produces and supplies perovskite materials, and is one of the industry's pioneer companies. We conducted an interviw with Dr. Yanek Hebting, Greatcell's general manager, who updates us on the company's business, material and his views on the perovskite industry.

Hello Dr. Hebting, Thank you for this Q&A. Can you introduce us to Greatcell Solar Materials?

Greatcell Solar Materials Pty Ltd was created in October 2018 as the spin-off of the Materials Division of Greatcell Solar, formerly Dyesol. Greatcell Solar Materials is a manufacturer and supplier of materials (including perovskite precursors, dyes, ligands, titania pastes, electrolytes as well as components) for energy system applications to the photovoltaics research sector and the electronics industry.

All products are manufactured and shipped from our facility in Queanbeyan, NSW Australia.

Can you tell us a bit about the demand for perovskite materials? Does it come mostly for research, or pilot lines?

As COVID restrictions around the world have eased and global activity resumed, the demand for perovskite materials has significantly increased since.
Greatcell Solar Materials provides both bulk quantities for industrial partners as well as small quantities for research purposes. The demand for research purpose will always be a part of the demand, it is exciting to see some pilot lines take fruition and begin the process of commercialization.

Read the full story Posted: Sep 18,2023

Researchers develop printable mesoscopic carbon perovskite solar cell with 17.13% efficiency

Researchers from the East China University of Science and Technology have developed a new manufacturing process to fabricate printable mesoscopic perovskite solar cells (p-MPSCs). The scientists report that the new technique is able to overcome the typical challenges posed by this cell technology, namely their interfacial passivation and layered assembly.

Mesoscopic PV devices are commonly designed with an absorber layer that can be conducted by a solution-based approach and non-vacuum processing, which makes their production costs relatively lower than those of conventional solar cells. Using organic-inorganic layer structured perovskites has recently enabled scientists across to world to reach efficiencies of over 10%.

Read the full story Posted: Sep 16,2023

Ergis readies a novel encapsulation film for perovskite solar panels

This is a sponsored post by Ergis Group

In 2020, Poland-based Ergis Group launched the noDiffusion film platform, a high-barrier film that offers high level of optical transmittance and low level of light scattering, and the ability to contain transparent conductive electrodes. The new technologies adopted in the production of the barrier films offer a combination of high performance and competitive pricing.

Ergis noDiffusion structure

Following years of R&D, Ergis is ready to enter production with its first-gen barrier films, produced using sputtering in a roll-to-roll (R2R) configuration. The company reports performance of around 10-4 wtr performance for its barrier. This is referred to as a "light-barrier" and one that is more than enough for the encapsulation of perovskite materials. The company collaborated with Poland-based Saule Technologies to develop this specific film. Ergis is now shipping barrier film samples to its customers.

Read the full story Posted: Sep 14,2023

Researchers identify the best combination of stressors for testing perovskite solar cells

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the University of Toledo have found that perovskite solar cells should be subjected to a combination of stress tests simultaneously to best predict how they will function outdoors.

The team used a state-of-the-art p-i-n PSC stack (with PCE up to ~25.5%) to show that indoor accelerated stability tests can predict 6-month outdoor aging tests. Device degradation rates under illumination and at elevated temperatures are most instructive for understanding outdoor device reliability. The team also found that the indium tin oxide (ITO)/self-assembled monolayer (SAM)-based hole transport layer (HTL)/perovskite interface most strongly affects the device operation stability. Improving the ion-blocking properties of the SAM HTL increases averaged device operational stability at 50°C–85°C by a factor of ~2.8, reaching over 1000 h at 85°C and to near 8200 h at 50°C with a projected 20% degradation, which is among the best to date for high-efficiency p-i-n PSCs.

Read the full story Posted: Sep 13,2023

Researchers improve transistor performance through perovskite-cation incorporation

Researchers from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and University of Electronic Science and Technology of China have developed perovskite transistors through the use of three distinct perovskite cation processes. 

The team showed that pure-tin perovskite thin-film transistors can be created using triple A cations of caesium–formamidinium–phenethylammonium. This approach reportedly leads to high-quality cascaded tin perovskite channel films with low-defect, phase-pure perovskite/dielectric interfaces.

Read the full story Posted: Sep 12,2023

Researchers examine perovskite material for non-volatile phase change memory

Researchers from Japan's Tohoku University and University of Tsukuba have reported a breakthrough in the development of non-volatile phase change memory−a type of electronic memory that can store data even when the power is turned off−using a perovskite-derivative nickelate material.

Until now, phase change memory has primarily been developed using chalcogenides, a group of materials known to exhibit reversible electrical changes when they transition between their crystalline and amorphous states. However, in their recent study, the researchers reported thermally reversible switching of room-temperature electrical resistivity in a layered nickelate−potentially offering better performance and superior sustainability.

Read the full story Posted: Sep 10,2023