Hybrids and related materials

Researchers report light guide plate based on perovskite nanocomposites

Perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs)/polymer nanocomposites can combine the advantages of both materials, but achieving the fabrication of PNCs/polymer nanocomposites by bulk polymerization has proven Very challenging. A team of scientists, led by Professor Bai Yang from Jilin University in China, has adopted a a two-type ligand strategy to fabricate bulk PNCs/polystyrene (PS) nanocomposites, including a new type of synthetic polymerizable ligand.

The CsPbCl3 PNCs/PS nanocomposites reportedly showed extremely high transparency that can be ascribed to the Rayleigh scattering as the PNCs distribute uniformly without obvious aggregation. Based on this behavior, the team first exploited the potential of PNCs to serve as scatters inside light guided plate (LGP), whose surface illuminance and uniformity can be improved, and this new kind of LGP is compatible with advanced liquid crystal display technology. 

Read the full story Posted: Nov 04,2023

Researchers design a 15.2%-efficient foldable perovskite solar cell with a carbon nanotube electrode

Scientists from South Korea have developed a foldable thin-film device with promising characteristics. Integrating a perovskite cell material and a carbon nanotube electrode, the group fabricated a device that achieved 15.2% efficiency and could be folded more than 10,000 times at a bending radius of 0.5mm.

A 15.2%-efficient solar cell that you can fold in half image

Solar cell materials tend to be quite sensitive. Designing and manufacturing devices that can withstand the stress of being folded and bent is challenging, and many of even the most promising solutions are still quite limited in their flexibility. The scientists at Pusan National University in South Korea took a major step forward in solving this problem, fabricating a device that can be folded down to a 'bending radius' ' the minimum size of fold possible without causing damage ' of 0.5mm.

Read the full story Posted: Feb 16,2021

Flexible semi-transparent tandem perovskite/CIGS solar cell with 26.5% efficiency reported by Solliance and MiaSolé

Solliance and U.S-based MiaSolé announced a new record - power conversion efficiency of 26.5% on a tandem solar cell that combined a top rigid semi-transparent perovskite solar cell with a bottom flexible copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) cell.

Solliance and Miasole's 23%efficiency tandem perovskite/CIGS cells image

This impressive efficiency was achieved by optimizing the bandgap and the efficiency of both the rigid semi-transparent perovskite top cell and the flexible CIGS bottom cell. The CIGS was roll to roll produced on steel foil, with a power conversion efficiency of 20.0%.

Read the full story Posted: Feb 11,2021

CITYSOLAR project to develop perovskite/OPV hybrids for photovoltaic windows

A new EU project called "CITYSOLAR" aims to revolutionize the market for transparent solar cells for windows by combining two photovoltaic (PV) technologies in a tandem configuration. The project has received 3,779,242 EUR in support from the H2020 framework programme. Transparent solar cells for windows have been known for several years, but are still not sufficiently efficient - which is what the new project will attempt to change.

'We develop new innovative concepts within light management and solar module integration that are specifically targeted at new promising organic and hybrid thin film PV technologies, and by that we go significantly beyond state-of-the-art in terms of efficiency for transparent photovoltaics. It's a revolutionary new concept,' says Professor Aldo di Carlo, Cnr-Ism, who is coordinator of the new project and is thrilled about the support of "CITYSOLAR" from the H2020 framework.

Read the full story Posted: Feb 05,2021

Two-sided perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells can collect scattered light to gather more energy

An international team of scientists, including ones from King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST) and University of Toronto, set out to increase the performance of solar panels by creating a bifacial (two-sided) tandem solar cell, made of perovskite and silicon materials.

Two-sided solar cells can collect scattered light to gather more energy imageImage credit: U of T

In outdoor environments, light primarily comes directly from the sun. Conventional tandem solar cells can already convert this light into electricity more efficiently compared to traditional silicon-only solar cells by absorbing additional wavelengths of light. Now, the researchers have realized that even more energy can be gathered using a two-sided tandem configuration. Light reflected and scattered from the ground ' referred to as 'albedo' ' can also be collected to significantly increase the current of a tandem solar cell. The new research outlines how the team engineered the perovskite/silicon device to exceed the currently accepted performance limits for the tandem configuration.

Read the full story Posted: Jan 12,2021

HZB team reports perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells on the threshold of 30% efficiency

Researchers at HZB have published their recent work, reporting its current world record of 29.15% efficiency for a tandem solar cell made of perovskite and silicon. The tandem cell provided stable performance for 300 hours ' even without encapsulation. To accomplish this, the group, headed by Prof. Steve Albrecht, investigated physical processes at the interfaces to improve the transport of the charge carriers.

The composition of the tandem solar cell image

In the beginning of 2020, a team headed by Prof. Steve Albrecht at the HZB broke the previous world record for tandem solar cells made of perovskite and silicon (28.0%, Oxford PV), setting a new world record of 29.15%. Compared to the highest certified and scientifically published efficiency, this is a significant step forward. The new value has been certified at Fraunhofer ISE and listed in the NREL chart. Now, the results have been published in the journal Science with a detailed explanation of the fabrication process and underlying physics.

Read the full story Posted: Dec 12,2020

Fraunhofer ISE researchers perform efficiency and cost evaluation of perovskite–silicon tandem solar cells

Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE researchers have examined the question of which silicon bottom cell will be most suitable for use in tandem cells. The team evaluated multiple silicon cell concepts based on both cost and efficiency in serving as the bottom layer in a perovskite-silicon tandem cell.

Investigated perovskite silicon tandem concepts imageInvestigated perovskite silicon tandem concepts featuring four different silicon bottom cells (P E RC, TOPerc, TOPCon2, and SHJ) and two different interconnection concepts (ReCO and SiT). Image from article

The study, based on both simulation and experimental work, details advantages to various approaches with the silicon cell and concludes that in almost every case, perovskite-silicon tandem cells have the potential to bring solar costs down below what could be achieved with silicon alone.

Read the full story Posted: Dec 06,2020

Perovskite PV startup Evolar secures investment to target rapid commercialization

Evolar logo imageSweden-based perovskite-based PV start-up Evolar has announced an investment from Norwegian renewables investor Magnora as it targets rapid commercialization of its technology.

Evolar has been researching the development of perovskites in solar cells, and Evolar now intends to help commercialize the technology. Evolar's approach is to add a perovskite-based thin-film layer to cells to create a tandem solar cell, which the company said is expected to increase module efficiency by five percentage points.

Read the full story Posted: Nov 19,2020

New perovskite ink could open the door to mass production of perovskite solar cells

KAUST researchers have developed a perovskite ink tailor-made for a mass manufacturing process called slot-die coating, producing PSCs that captured solar energy with high efficiency. The ink could also be coated onto silicon to create perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells.

The planar p-i-n device architecture of the perovskite solar cell employed in the study imageThe planar p-i-n device architecture of the perovskite solar cell employed in the study. Image credit: KAUST

PSCs made in research labs are typically made by spin-coating, which is unsuited to mass manufacture. Slot-die coating, in contrast, is a manufacturing technique used industrially for many years. 'The process involves continuously and precisely forcing an ink through a narrow slit that is moved across the substrate to form a continuous film,' Anand Subbiah, a postdoc in Stefaan De Wolf's lab, said. 'This high-throughput technique would allow for roll-to-roll fabrication, similar to printing newspapers.'

Read the full story Posted: Nov 11,2020

KAUST researchers examine the influence of temperature on tandem solar cell performance

KAUST researchers have conducted outdoor tests, that have shown that an increase in temperature affects the performance of a tandem perovskite/silicon solar cell due to voltage losses aw well as current mismatch between the two sub-cells.

KAUST tests influence of temperature on tandem cells performance image

The energy yield of two-terminal tandem cells is maximized when the two sub-cells produce the same current at the maximum power point. However, when one of the two devices generates less current than the other, and current mismatch between the sub-cells occurs, the overall device's current is affected.

Read the full story Posted: Nov 05,2020