Recent Perovskite News - Page 3

Researchers from Huaqiao University, City University of Hong Kong and Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have explained that highly efficient perovskite solar cells in the n-i-p structure demonstrated limited operational lifetimes earlier due to the layer-to-layer ion diffusion in perovskite/doped hole-transport layer (HTL) heterojunction, leading to conductivity drop in HTL and component loss in perovskites. Now, they have reached 26.39% efficiency of perovskite solar cells using an ultrathin (~7 nm) p-type polymeric interlayer (D18) with excellent ion-blocking ability between perovskite and HTL to address these issues.

Device architecture, the structure of D18 polymer, and the detailed ion blocking effect of D18 membrane. Image credit: Nature Communications

The ultrathin D18 interlayer effectively inhibits the layer-to-layer diffusion of lithium, methylammonium, formamidium, and iodide ions. Additionally, D18 improves the energy-level alignment at the perovskite/HTL interface and facilitates efficient hole extraction. 

Spin-polarized lasers have been found superior to conventional lasers in many aspects of both performance and functionality. Hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites are emerging spintronic materials with great potential for advancing spin-polarized laser technology, but the rapid carrier spin relaxation process in hybrid perovskites presents a major bottleneck for spin-polarized lasing. Now, researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Beijing Normal University have identified and successfully suppressed the spin relaxation mechanism in perovskites for the experimental realization of spin-polarized perovskite lasers. 

The electron-hole exchange interaction was identified as the decisive spin relaxation mechanism hindering the realization of spin-polarized lasing in perovskite microcrystals. Consequently, an ion doping strategy was employed to introduce a new energy level in perovskites, which enables a long carrier spin lifetime by suppressing the electron-hole exchange interaction. 

Sekisui Chemical has announced it was selected for the GX Supply Chain Construction Support Project by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The company would like to play a central role in realizing the government's goal of establishing a gigawatt (GW) level supply system by 2030, and has therefore decided to make a capital investment with the aim of starting operation of a 100 MW manufacturing line in 2027, for producing lightweight perovskite solar panels, to be used initially for low load-bearing rooftops. 

The Company plans to take over the buildings of Sharp Corporation in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, and install perovskite solar cell manufacturing facilities to carry out manufacture and sales.

Here are some recent and popular perovskite industry and academia news that you may find of interest:

• Hanwha Qcells announces record efficiency for perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell
• Homerun Resources acquires Halocell Europe
• Mark your calendars for the 2025 Perovskite Connect event!
• PXP raises close to USD$10 million in Series A funding with SoftBank as lead investor
• MicroQuanta launches large perovskite-based PV plant in China, focused on agrivoltaics
• Sekisui Chemical to initiate perovskite PV production in Slovakia
• Shenzhen Hiking PV to set up perovskite-silicon tandem PV factory
• Researchers develop semi-transparent perovskite solar cells with 21.68% efficiency
• Akcome to invest $140 million in HJT-perovskite tandem solar cell facility
• China-based RenShine Solar launches new 150MW perovskite PV line
• Three Gorges Group 1 MW pilot perovskite PV plant is now connected to the grid
• Toshiba reaches 16.6% efficiency for polymer film-based large-area perovskite module
• Microquanta's perovskite water-farming PV power station is connected to the grid
• Researchers fabricate full-color flexible microLEDs using perovskite QDs

Researchers from Wake Forest University, SUNY University at Buffalo and Technical University of Dresden have addressed the issue of perovskites' susceptibility to environmental degradation and reliance on toxic solvents in traditional processing methods, by introducing methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI₃) perovskite films that are processed via a solvent-free laser printing technique. The films produced using this method reportedly exhibit exceptional stability and can withstand extreme conditions.

Instead of using solvents, the team created a dry powder by combining methylammonium lead iodide (the perovskite semiconductor) with carnauba wax and microscopic silica particles. Using a modified laser printer, they deposit this powder in precise patterns. The laser's heat briefly melts the mixture, allowing it to reform into a layered structure.

It was recently reported that AGM Group and the Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering at Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) announced the official establishment of their joint laboratory, marking a new chapter in their collaboration in the field of perovskite solar cells and photovoltaic components.

AGM Group specializes in high-end equipment manufacturing, new material manufacturing, and R&D innovation. Its business scope covers various fields such as diamonds, gallium arsenide, and perovskites, providing advanced manufacturing equipment and new photovoltaic component systems including MPCVD, HFCVD and ALD, among others. The Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering at SUSTech focuses on diverse research directions, with notable achievements in new renewable energy and its energy conversion and storage systems and technologies. Led by Academician Zhao Tianshou of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the energy engineering research team has excelled in fields such as flow batteries, lithium batteries, catalytic hydrogen production, and solar cells.

Researchers from City University of Hong Kong have introduced a novel and durable 2D thermochromic perovskite, Tha₂MAPbI₄ (TMPI, Tha = thiourea, MA = methylamine), wherein Tha acts as a Lewis acid-base adduct. TMPI demonstrates a reversible transition, achieving 83.7% luminous transmittance in the cold state and 35.2% in the hot state, thereby showcasing a substantial solar modulation ability of 24.7%. 

The background for this development is that despite growing interest in thermochromic metal halide perovskite (MHPs) for smart window applications, existing MHP smart windows predominantly feature 3D perovskite, which exhibits a deficiency in environmental stability, presenting persistent challenges for practical applications. 

Hanwha Solutions Qcells Division (Hanwha Qcells), a global leader in complete clean energy solutions, has announced a new world record, reaching 28.6% for tandem solar cell efficiency on a full-area M10-sized cell that can be scaled for mass manufacturing. This result was achieved despite having only begun large-area tandem development in 2023.

“The tandem cell technology developed at Hanwha Qcells will accelerate the commercialization process of this technology and, ultimately, deliver a great leap forward in photovoltaic performance,” said Danielle Merfeld, Global CTO at Hanwha Qcells. “We are committed to advancing the next generation of solar energy efficiency and will keep investing significantly in research and development to drive progress in this field, as every kilowatt counts on the path to building a more sustainable future.”  

Nexwafe, a German wafer manufacturer, said that a perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell it developed in partnership with the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM) has achieved a power conversion efficiency of 28.9%.

The tandem perovskite 2-junction cells used NexWafe’s EpiNex wafers and demonstrated their potential for advanced solar technologies. The company stated that with superior smoothness at the nano-scale, EpiNex wafers provide the ideal platform for the next generation of low-cost, solution-processed tandem perovskite cells.

In November 29, Hangzhou Xianna Optoelectronic Technology Co., Ltd. delivered its perovskite α-tandem modules for the China Three Gorges New Energy 50 MW PV demonstration project, in what is said to mark the first commercial application of four-terminal perovskite-silicon tandem modules in China. 

Once the PV power plant utilizing these tandem modules is completed and connected to the local grid, it will significantly alleviate the local grid's supply-demand imbalance, reduce environmental pollution, and improve air quality. The design work for a 500 kW demonstration plant has already been completed, with plans to collaborate with engineering institutes for on-site module layout design. The demonstration plant is expected to be connected to the grid and operational by the end of 2024.