Perovskites and graphene

Researchers from India's CSIR-Central Scientific Instruments Organization have developed a predominantly dry, low-temperature fabrication process for flexible all-inorganic perovskite solar cells, combining material sustainability with high device performance.

The device structure - PET/ITO/rGO–SnO₂ (or rGO–TiO₂)/CsSn₁‑yGeᵧI₃/MoOₓ/Carbon - integrates lead-free CsSn₁‑yGeᵧI₃ absorbers and graphene-modified electron transport layers, enabling a power conversion efficiency of 19.2% with enhanced operational and mechanical stability. The architecture employs MoOₓ as a dopant-free hole transport layer with favorable energy-level alignment, while minimizing solvent use throughout fabrication.

GraphEnergyTech recently shared an update on its recent progress, funding goals, and strategic direction within the solar energy sector.

GraphEnergyTech’s selection for Japan’s Keihanna Global Acceleration Program (KGAP+) marks a significant milestone as the company’s graphene-enhanced carbon electrode technology aligns closely with Japan’s advanced perovskite solar cell ecosystem. A portfolio company of Frontier IP Group PLC (LSE:FIPP, FRA:8WT), GraphEnergyTech is currently raising a minimum of £3 million in a seed funding round. The capital will be used primarily to expand production capacity and accelerate R&D focused on silicon solar cells. However, CEO Dr. Thomas Baumeler noted that the company also has “a solution that fits particularly well with perovskite solar cells.”

Researchers from the University of Barcelona, Jaume I University, Slovak University of Technology and University of Valencia have engineered ultrasensitive photodetectors based on inkjet-printed nanocrystalline films of mixed-phase “raisin bread” CsPbBr₃/Cs₄PbBr₆ perovskite integrated onto graphene. By embedding photoactive CsPbBr₃ nanocrystals within a wider-bandgap Cs₄PbBr₆ matrix, the team creates a composite architecture that enhances charge confinement while simultaneously improving environmental stability relative to conventional perovskite films.

The raisin-bread morphology plays a central role in suppressing non-radiative recombination and mitigating degradation pathways that typically limit metal-halide perovskites in photodetector operation. In this configuration, the Cs₄PbBr₆ host passivates the surface of CsPbBr₃ nanodomains and acts as a protective scaffold, helping preserve optoelectronic properties over extended operation under ambient conditions. Coupled with solution-based inkjet deposition, this strategy demonstrates that complex phase-engineered perovskite microstructures can be reproducibly formed over large areas in a maskless, vacuum-free process, supporting low-cost, scalable manufacturing.

Researchers from Dongguan University of Technology have demonstrated a perovskite/graphene heterostructure that overcomes key challenges in metal-halide perovskite X-ray detectors, such as charge recombination caused by thick, defect-prone films. 

By combining CsPbBr₃ perovskite’s strong X-ray absorption and photophysical performance with graphene’s ultrahigh carrier mobility (> 10⁴ cm²·V⁻¹·s⁻¹), the heterostructure achieves efficient charge transport and reduced non-radiative losses. A MAPbCl₃ buffer layer at the perovskite/Si interface further alleviates lattice mismatch and enhances adhesion by 10×. 

Halocell and First Graphene have signed an exclusive license agreement that highlights a significant boost for perovskite solar cell (PSC) performance and commercialization. The new deal centers on graphene-enhanced carbon paste already proven to improve Halocell’s perovskite modules, particularly for indoor and lightweight applications.​

Graphene-enhanced carbon paste (L); paste layer on a perovskite solar cell (R). Image credit: First Graphene

Under the 12‑month exclusive License Agreement, First Graphene will manufacture, market and sell the graphene-enhanced carbon paste globally, while Halocell will receive a 10% royalty on sales and continue to use the material in its commercially available PSCs. This builds on an earlier Joint Development Agreement and a CRC-P Partners Agreement under which the partners optimized graphene loading, formulation and processing for PSC carbon pastes.

First Graphene has reported the addition of graphene to perovskite solar cells (PSC) can improve efficiency by 30% and reduce production costs by up to 80%.

The company has partnered with Halocell Energy and Queensland University of Technology to develop graphene-enhanced PSCs through the addition of its PureGRAPH novel functionalized graphene. A three-year AU$2.03 million grant under the federal government’s Co-operative Research Centers Projects (CRC-P) program is funding the research and development agreement, which commenced in 2023.

A research team from East China University of Science and Technology has unveiled a novel method to extend the lifespan of perovskite solar cells by developing an ultrathin protective layer for perovskite materials using graphene and a special transparent polymer. Experiments showed this "armor" doubles materials' stress resistance, reducing the expansion rate to 0.08 percent from 0.31 percent.

Perovskite materials expand by over 1 percent when exposed to light, the team noted, adding that they repeatedly expand and contract under sunlight, like an inflating and deflating balloon, causing the internal crystals to squeeze each other and generate destructive forces, ultimately leading to structural failure. Cells protected by the team's new "armor" maintained 97% efficiency after 3,670 hours, or about 153 days, of continuous operation under simulated real-world conditions of intense light and high temperatures, marking the longest-ever stable operation period for perovskite cells and providing feasibility for commercial use.

Frontier IP, a specialist in commercializing intellectual property, has announced that its portfolio company GraphEnergyTech (Frontier IP holds a 23.97% equity stake in GraphEnergyTech) has entered into a collaboration with the Taiwan Perovskite Solar Corporation, Taiwan's prestigious Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), and the University of Cambridge to drive development of perovskite solar technology.

This new project that the four organizations have formed will be called Graphene Electrode Technology for Perovskite Solar Cells (or "GETPSC") and it has secured a £884,129 (over US$1,115,000) grant from Innovate UK.

Miniaturizing LEDs is crucial for creating ultra-high-resolution displays. Metal-halide perovskites show potential for efficient light emission, long-distance carrier transport, and scalable production of bright micro-LED displays. However, current thin-film perovskites face issues with uneven light emission and surface instability during lithography, making them unsuitable for micro-LED devices. There's a strong need for continuous single-crystal perovskite films with minimal grain boundaries, stable surfaces, and uniform optical properties for micro-LEDs. Yet, growing these films and integrating them into devices remains a challenge.

Remote epitaxial crystalline perovskites for ultrahigh resolution micro-LED displays. Image credit: Chinese Academy of Sciences

Recently, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China and Jilin University made significant progress in this field. The team developed a novel method for the remote epitaxial growth of continuous crystalline perovskite thin films, that allows for seamless integration into ultrahigh-resolution micro-LEDs with pixels less than 5 μm.

Researchers from China's Peking University, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) have found that the preparation of metal electrodes by high-vacuum thermal evaporation, an unavoidable step in almost all device fabrication processes, often damages the surface of perovskite films, resulting in component escape, defect density rebound, carrier extraction barrier, and film stability deterioration. Therefore, the prepared perovskite film and the final film actually working in devices are not exactly the same, and the contribution of film optimization to the device improvement is weakened. 

The team designed a bilayer structure composed of graphene oxide and graphite flakes to eliminate the unwanted film inconsistencies and thus save the film optimization loss. The team proceeded to design efficient perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with a power conversion efficiency of 25.55%, which demonstrated negligible photovoltaic performance loss after operating for 2000 hours.