Researchers report lead-free perovskite material with ferroelectric properties for potential use in solar cells
Scientists at the University of California at Berkeley and the US Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed a perovskite-structured ferroelectric compound that might be suitable for the production of lead-free perovskite solar cells.
“The new ferroelectric material – which is grown in the lab from cesium germanium tribromide (CsGeBr3 or CGB) – opens the door to an easier approach to making solar cell devices,” the team said. “Unlike conventional solar materials, CGB crystals are inherently polarized, where one side of the crystal builds up positive charges and the other side builds up negative charges, no doping required.”