Recent Perovskite News - Page 2

Researchers from China's Westlake University, Fudan University and Zhejiang University have explained that while record power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are usually achieved using organic spiro-OMeTAD, conventional doping with hygroscopic dopants (LiTFSI and tBP) leads to compromised device stability. 

Image of spiro-OMeTAD solutions with various dopants alongside filtered 5D spiro-OMeTAD solutions. Image from: Nature Communications

In their recent work, the team introduced a synergistic mixed doping strategy that utilizes a combination of metal-TFSI dopants—LiTFSI, KTFSI, NaTFSI, Ca(TFSI)₂, and Mg(TFSI)₂—to enhance doping efficiency while effectively removing hygroscopic contaminants from the Spiro-OMeTAD solution. This approach enables PCEs exceeding 25% and significantly improved stability under harsh environmental conditions.

Researchers from Soochow University and Yangzhou University have developed a single photodiode sensor that detects full-color light using perovskite materials, impedance data, and machine learning algorithms.

While conventional photodetectors are able to measure how much light is present, they typically can't identify what kind of light it is. Extracting color or spectral information usually requires added hardware—filters, lens stacks, or multiple detectors arranged side by side or layered vertically. These systems tend to be bulky, expensive, and hard to scale, particularly when designing small, low-power devices. Even more recent strategies, like using heat or voltage to modulate a detector’s response, introduce other trade-offs, such as slower operation and higher instability.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have developed a contactless method for measuring the performance of back-contact solar cells in the production line. 

Measuring the current-voltage characteristic curve is the most important test in solar cell quality control. Eliminating physical contact with the solar cell saves time and thus allows significantly higher throughput rates in production. It also eliminates mechanical stress on the solar cells during measurement and reduces the maintenance costs of the measuring system. The researchers tested the method for the first time in 2022 and have now successfully transferred it to IBC (interdigitated back contact) cell architectures in a production-related environment.

Eternal Sun, developer of solar simulators for photovoltaic testing, has announced that Bolster Investment Partners has acquired an 80% majority stake in the company. 

The strategic partnership is set to accelerate Eternal Sun’s international expansion, product development, and professionalization. This milestone follows sustained growth and innovation in solar testing technology, including next-gen tandem and perovskite applications. Bolster brings not just capital, but also strategic support to realize Eternal Sun’s long-term ambitions in a rapidly evolving solar market.

Identifying lead leakage and stability as major challenges for the commercialization of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), researchers from Chongqing University and Huazhong University of Science and Technology have developed a polymerization method to achieve highly stable and environmentally friendly high-performance PSCs. 

Device structure diagram of the PSCs and corresponding cross-sectional SEM image. Image from: Science Advances
 

Through the addition of the small organic molecule N,N′-bis(acryloyl)cystamine (BAC) to the perovskite precursor solution, the terminal alkenes of BAC enable the construction of polymer BAC (PBAC) at the perovskite grain boundaries (GBs) during the annealing process of the perovskite films. PBAC not only overcomes the limitations of organic small molecules but also interacts with perovskites through its numerous functional groups and multiple reactive sites. This interaction effectively passivates deep-level defects, suppressing nonradiative carrier recombination.

Today we have released a new edition of the Perovskites for the Solar Industry market report. This report, over 190 pages long, is a comprehensive guide to next-generation perovskite-based solutions for the solar industry that enable efficient, low cost, lightweight and unique solar solutions. This major new edition includes over 20 new companies and over 50 updates. The perovskite industry is moving fast towards commercialization and our report is a must-read for anyone that wishes to become an expert on this emerging industry and market.

Reading this report, you'll learn all about:

• The perovskite solar industry and market
• The advantages and challenges of perovskite PVs
• Perovskite PV developers and supply chain companies
• What the future holds for the perovskite market and industry

The report also provides:

• Market segmentation by technology, geography, applications and more
• The latest efficiency records (by PV type)
• Details on perovskite collaborative research projects
• A market snapshot and forecast
• Free updates for a year

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) based on halide perovskites are considered attractive thanks to their high output performance as micro-nano energy sources. However, the presence of toxic lead and environmental instability hamper their practical applications in wearable electronics. 

To address these challenges, researchers from Shandong University and Henan University have developed a lead-free bismuth halide perovskite, CsBi₃I₁₀ (CBI), integrated with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) in a nanofiber composite film via a one-step electrospinning deposition process, serving as an alternative triboelectric layer for TENGs. 

Researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have addressed a critical challenge in perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) by identifying and targeting the root cause of efficiency loss at high brightness, and enabled record-breaking device performance by introducing a novel material design.

Using a self-developed diagnostic tool called electrically excited transient absorption (EETA) spectroscopy, the researchers captured real-time carrier dynamics in operating devices. They found that the hole leakage into the electron transport layer-previously undetected due to a lack of in situ characterization methods-is the primary culprit behind efficiency roll-off.

A research team, led by Professor Yong-Young Noh and Dr. Youjin Reo from the Department of Chemical Engineering at POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology), has developed p-channel Sn²⁺-halide perovskite TFTs using a thermal evaporation approach with inorganic caesium tin iodide (CsSnI₃). 

The project was a collaborative effort with Professors Ao Liu and Huihui Zhu from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) and resulted in the development of high-performance, stable p-channel CsSnI₃-based TFTs using a commercially compatible vapor-deposition approach with PbCl₂ as an additive. The volatile chloride triggers solid-state reactions and the conversion of as-evaporated precursor compounds. This facilitates the formation of high-quality and uniform perovskite films, and also modulates the high hole density, making them suitable for use as channel layers. The optimized CsSnI₃:PbCl₂ TFTs delivered average µFE of around 34 cm2 V⁻¹ s⁻¹, on/off ratio of around 10⁸ and storage stability of more than 150 days. The team also demonstrated a large-scale Sn²⁺-halide perovskite TFT array that overcomes the technical challenges faced in the solution process. The vapor-deposited TFTs could be used in backplanes for organic light-emitting diode displays, or in logic devices and circuits for monolithic three-dimensional integration, where low process temperatures are required.

In the fabrication of FAPbI₃-based perovskite solar cells, Lewis bases play a crucial role in facilitating the formation of the desired photovoltaic α-phase. However, an inherent contradiction in their role is that they must strongly bind to stabilize the intermediate δ-phase, yet weakly bind for rapid removal to enable phase transition and grain growth. 

To address this issue, researchers at the University of Toledo, Northwestern University, Cornell University, University of Washington and Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed a new strategy to control the crystallization process in perovskite-based solar cells, stabilizing the δ-phase while facilitating their transition to the α-phase. Their proposed approach enables the formation of Lewis bases on perovskites on demand to optimize crystallization, which can enhance the efficiency and stability of solar cells.