Researchers develop a perovskite-based 3D printing ink that could power next generation OLED devices

Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), led by Prof. Peidong Yang, have developed a new 3D printing ink based on perovskite materials, that exhibits near unity photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY). Interestingly, as it is a 3D printable ink, it is possible to create luminescent objects from it, as seen in the image below:

Eiffel Tower luminescent structures, made from 3D-printed supramolecular ink (Berkeley Lab)

Eiffel Tower luminescent structures, made from 3D-printed supramolecular ink (Berkeley Lab)
 

The researchers brand the new ink as 'supramolecular ink', and say it is produced without any rare metals. It is a combination of several powders containing hafnium (Hf) and zirconium (Zr), and is made at room temperatures. In a process called supramolecular assembly, tiny molecular building block structures are self-assembled within the ink. These supramolecular structures enable the material to achieve stable and high-purity synthesis at low temperatures.

Read the full story Posted: Feb 16,2024

Researchers develop a scalable all-perovskite photoelectrochemical system for solar hydrogen generation

Researchers at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) recently set out to develop a scalable photoelectrochemical (PEC) system to produce green hydrogen.

(a) Concept design of NiFeOOH/Ni/FAPbI3 photoanode-based water splitting cell. (b) All-PSK-based encapsulated PEC reactor made of repeated mini-modules. Credit: Nature Energy & Dr Dharmesh Hansora, UNIST

The team explained that for practical photoelectrochemical water splitting to become a reality, highly efficient, stable and scalable photoelectrodes are essential. However, meeting these requirements simultaneously is a difficult task, as improvements in one area can often lead to deterioration in others. To address this challenge, the team developed a formamidinium lead triiodide (FAPbI3) perovskite-based photoanode that is encapsulated by an Ni foil/NiFeOOH electrocatalyst, which demonstrates promising efficiency, stability and scalability. 

Read the full story Posted: Feb 15,2024

Researchers design MA-free inverted perovskite solar cells using charge-modulated molecular bonding

Researchers from Japan's National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) and Hokkaido University have designed an inverted “n-i-p” perovskite solar cell with a new bond/charge regulated defect passivation technique, enabled by introducing bifunctional molecules onto the perovskite absorber. The device exhibited a low open circuit voltage deficit and impressive stability.

The newly-fabricated solar cell with was based on a perovskite material that doesn't contain methylammonium (MA) molecules. These molecules have intrinsic thermal instability and contribute to increasing the typical thermal instability of perovskite PV devices.

Read the full story Posted: Feb 15,2024

Merida Aerospace to develop perovskite solar cells for use in space

Merida Aerospace, a Tampa-based aerospace company, has announced it is developing perovskite solar cells tailored for space applications, with a specific emphasis on enhancing performance and economy for low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites.

LEO satellites often rely on solar panels as their primary power source, capturing sunlight during orbital solar exposure for sustained operation. These panels enhance weight efficiency by reducing the need for excessive number of batteries, enabling autonomous function during intermittent access to sunlight while in low earth orbit.

Read the full story Posted: Feb 14,2024

Spotlight on the DIAMOND EU project

The DIAMOND project aims at developing ultra-stable, highly-efficient and low-cost perovskite photovoltaics with minimized environmental impact, promising stabilities far beyond all previous achievements of photovoltaic solar cells.

It was launched in October 5th, 2022, and is planned to continue until November 30th, 2025. 

Read the full story Posted: Feb 14,2024

Sekisui Chemical to initiate perovskite PV production in Slovakia

Reports suggest that Slovakia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Denisa Sakova, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Japan's Sekisui Chemical.

Sekisui Chemical is designing lightweight perovskite solar technology and aims to commercialize its flexible panels in 2025. “We are interested not only in working together on the expansion of this technology in Slovakia, but at the same time we also want to explore the possibilities of locating the production of such panels in our country,” said Sakova.

Read the full story Posted: Feb 13,2024

TCI launches new high-performance hole collecting material for perovskite solar cells

Tokyo Chemical Industry (TCI), a global supplier of laboratory chemicals and specialty materials, launched a new high-performance hole collecting material (HCM), that can be used to enhance the performance of inverted perovskite solar cells, as it efficiently collects holes from the perovskite layer.

TCI's new 3PATAT-C3 is a SAM formation reagent, with face-on orientation to the substrate surface. It strongly binds to the ITO layer, has a high coverage ratio and it offers efficient charge recovery from the perovskite layer. The material is now available in high purity, and preparations are underway with a view to large-scale supply. See here for more info.

Read the full story Posted: Feb 13,2024

Researchers develop perovskite-based synapses for neuromorphic vision sensors

Much research work is put into emulating the human vision system, that can effortlessly and efficiently interpret the visual world despite the barrage of fragmented data that strikes the retina. Neuromorphic visual sensors (NVS) based on photonic synapses hold great promise towards that end, but current photonic synapses rely on delicate engineering of the complex heterogeneous interface to realize learning and memory functions, resulting in high fabrication costs, reduced reliability, high energy consumption and uncompact architecture, severely limiting the up-scaled manufacture, and on-chip integration. 

The concept of an artificial visual system mimicking the biological system. a) The biological visual system consisting of the retina (receiving and preprocessing), optic nerves (transmitting), and the visual center (processing and memory system) and a multilayer structure of a retina. b) The artificial visual system based on a 2T vertical photodetector of ITO/(BA)2PbI4/ITO. The exciton-ion coupling is responsible for the nonvolatile photocurrent. Image from Advanced Materials

Now, researchers at Nanjing Normal University, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications and RMIT University have reported a nanomaterials-based approach using solution grown hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites (OIHP) that intrinsically unites both photodetection and dynamic, adaptive synaptic signal modulation within single micron scale elements.

Read the full story Posted: Feb 10,2024

CubicPV terminates plans for U.S silicon wafer factory

In December 2022, CubicPV announced plans to establish 10 GW of conventional mono wafer capacity in the United States. Now, CubicPV said it has halted its plans to build a major U.S. silicon wafer factory, citing a collapse in product prices and soaring construction costs. It was reported that the Company will instead be focusing on producing tandem perovskite solar modules.

As part of its restructuring scheme, the company reduced its workforce and eliminated positions tied to the U.S. factory effort. The Company said it would support the affected workers by providing severance packages and extended health benefits.

Read the full story Posted: Feb 09,2024

Researchers develop new sieving technique for better perovskite LEDs

Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), University of Nottingham Ningbo China and University of Science and Technology of China have developed a novel solvent sieve method that significantly enhances the performance and operational stability of perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs).

Perovskites' practical application in PeLEDs has thus been constrained by their low operational stability. The recent research, centered on a comprehensive analysis of perovskite nanostructures, identified the presence of defective low n-phase perovskites as a primary factor undermining device stability. These defective phases, characterized by a minimal number of lead ion layers, arise from rapid and uncontrolled crystallization processes. The simple solvent sieve treatment reported in this study addresses this issue and improves the efficiency and stability potentials of high-brightness perovskite light-emitting diodes for future commercial applications.

Read the full story Posted: Feb 06,2024