Perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) have considerable potential as next-generation display materials thanks to their excellent photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY), wide color gamut, and narrow emission bandwidth. However, due to their weak stability against solvents, their patterning remains a challenge. In a recent study, researchers at Ajou University, Hanyang University, Sungkyunkwan University, Macquarie University and Kongju National University developed functional organic ligands (AzL1-Th and AzL2-Th) for the fine pixelation of perovskite nanocrystal (PNC) displays. 

Functional ligands containing photocurable azide moieties exhibit good charge transport properties and fast and efficient photocrosslinking performance, while maintaining a high PLQY. The team successfully demonstrated the crosslinked PNC light emitting diodes using AzL1-Th. The results suggest the high potential of photocurable ligands for the micro-patterning of PNC films without film damages.

Researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences and University of Colorado (CU Boulder) have reported an innovative method to manufacture perovskite solar cells. 

A major challenge in commercializing perovskite solar cells at a commercial scale is the process of coating the semiconductor onto the glass plates which are the building blocks of panels. Currently, the coating process has to take place in a small box filled with non-reactive gas, such as nitrogen, to prevent the perovskites from reacting with oxygen, which decreases their performance. “This is fine at the research stage. But when you start coating large pieces of glass, it gets harder and harder to do this in a nitrogen filled box,” said Michael McGehee, a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and fellow with CU Boulder’s Renewable & Sustainable Energy Institute. 

Researchers at the University of Surrey, University of Cambridge and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xidian University, and Zhengzhou University have developed a novel approach for bifacial perovskite devices using single-walled carbon nanotubes as both front and back electrodes.

Single-walled carbon nanotubes offer high transparency, conductivity, and stability, enabling bifacial PSCs with a bifaciality factor of over 98% and a power generation density of over 36%. 

Researchers at CAS (Chinese Academy of Sciences) and Henan University have developed a nanomaterial-regulated doping strategy to pre-oxidize spiro-OMeTAD into radicals in the precursor solution with tin sulfoxide (SnSO) nanomaterials prepared at high temperature. The team increased the photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) to 24.5% using the inorganic SnSO as a dopant to oxidize and regulate the organic hole transport layer 2,2′,7,7′-tetrakis[N,N-di(4-methoxyphenyl)amino]-9,9-spirobifluorene (spiro-OMeTAD).

Spiro-OMeTAD is an important hole transport layer (HTL) material. To enhance the charge transport capability of spiro-OMeTAD, lithium trifluoromethanesulfonyl imide (Li-TFSI) is required to mediate the reaction between oxygen and spiro-OMeTAD. However, this traditional doping method has low doping efficiency, and excessive Li-TFSI will remain in the spiro-OMeTAD film, leading to a decrease in the compactness and long-term conductivity of the film. The duration of the oxidation reaction usually takes 10 to 24 hours to reach the desired conductivity and work function. In this study, the researchers developed a fast and reproducible strategy to control the oxidation of the nanomaterial. They used SnSO nanomaterial to pre-oxidize spiro-OMeTAD to spiro-OMeTAD⁺TFSI^- free radicals in precursor solutions. This improved the conductivity, optimized the energy level position of HTL, and achieved a high PCE of 24.5%.

In a recent study by researchers from Henan University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the interface of indium tin oxide/electron transport layer (ITO/ETL) in n-i-p structured devices was targeted. Electron transport layers are typically fabricated using commercial nano tin dioxide, which often displays insufficient density. To combat this, the scientists employed the commonly used bathocuproine (BCP) material to treat the ITO/ETL interface. 

The incorporation of BCP diminishes the direct contact between the perovskite and ITO layers, while also passivating buried interface and adjusting the crystal orientation of perovskites. Furthermore, the substrate layer exhibits improved transparency, consequently elevating the utilization rate of light by perovskite.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge, University of Science and Technology of China, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Soochow University, OIST, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Victoria University of Wellington and Kyushu University have demonstrated efficient blue perovskite LEDs based on a mixed two-dimensional–three-dimensional perovskite and a multifunctional ionic additive that enables control over the reduced-dimensional phases, non-radiative recombination channels and spectral stability. 

The team reported a series of devices that emit efficient electroluminescence from mixed bromide/chloride quasi-three-dimensional regions, with external quantum efficiencies of up to 21.4% (at a luminance of 22 cd m^–2 and emission peak at 483 nm), 13.2% (at a luminance of 2.0 cd m^–2 and emission peak at 474 nm) and 7.3% (at a luminance of 6 cd m^–2 and emission peak at 464 nm). The devices showed a nearly 30-fold increase in operational stability compared with control LEDs, with a half-lifetime of 129 min at an initial luminance of 100 cd m^–2. 

An international collaboration between scientists from CSIRO, University of Cambridge and others has resulted in a new efficiency record for fully roll-to-roll printed solar cells.

According to the team, the cells achieved “power conversion efficiencies of up to 15.5% for individual small-area cells and 11.0% for serially-interconnected cells”.

An international group o researchers, including ones from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, Solaronix, University of Cambridge, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and others, have developed a method to re-manufacture fully encapsulated perovskite solar cells after recycling. According to the researchers, the re-manufactured devices can achieve 88% of their original efficiency.

The novel method for re-manufacturing perovskite solar cells (PSCs) uses carbon-based electrodes (CPSMs). Re- manufacturing, as opposed to merely recycling, is described as the combination of re-used, recycled, repaired, or replaced parts to make a new product. “In this work, we demonstrate for the first time a re-manufacturing strategy for glass-glass encapsulated perovskite solar cells,” the scientists stated. “Our study presents a facile experimental method to remove the edge-sealant, encapsulant, back electrode, and degraded perovskite, allowing reuse of the device constituents.”

Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS), Beijing University of Technology, Suzhou Maxwell Technologies and Technical University of Munich have developed a triple-junction perovskite/Si tandem solar cell that can reportedly achieve a certified world-record power conversion efficiency of 27.1% across a solar energy absorption area of 1 sq cm, representing the best-performing triple-junction perovskite/Si tandem solar cell thus far. To achieve this, the team engineered a new cyanate-integrated perovskite solar cell that is stable and energy efficient.

Current multi-junction solar cell technologies pose many issues, such as energy loss which leads to low voltage and instability of the device during operation. To overcome these challenges, Assistant Professor at NUS, Hou Yi, led a team of scientists to demonstrate, for the first time, the successful integration of cyanate into a perovskite solar cell to develop a novel triple-junction perovskite/Si tandem solar cell that surpasses the performance of other similar multi-junction solar cells. 

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) scientists, along with collaborators from Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) and Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), have reported a new strategy to design perovskite solar cells (PSCs) that improves their stability and raises their efficiency.

Image credit: KAUST

Defects at the top and bottom interfaces of three-dimensional (3D) perovskite photo-absorbers diminish the performance and operational stability of PSCs due to charge recombination, ion migration, and electric-field inhomogeneities. In this recent work, the team demonstrated that long alkyl-amine ligands can generate near-phase pure two-dimensional (2D) perovskites at the top and bottom 3D perovskite interfaces and effectively resolves these issues.