Quantum dots make for stabler, more efficient perovskite solar cells

Perovskite photo voltaic cells have come a great distance in a short while, however there’s nonetheless room for enchancment. Engineers have now added a layer of quantum dots to the recipe, leading to a extra steady photo voltaic cell with near-record effectivity.

Perovskite supplies make efficient photo voltaic cells for just a few causes. Skinny movies of them are capable of effectively take up your complete spectrum of seen gentle, they’re low-cost to make, light-weight and versatile.

However after all, there’s a catch. Perovskite photo voltaic cells have stability points and may degrade beneath real-world situations, and their effectivity tends to drop on bigger scales. In previous research, scientists have tried to enhance the steadiness by including cumbersome molecules, outdated pigments, 2D components, or chili compounds.

For the brand new research, researchers at EPFL and the Korea Institute of Vitality Analysis examined out a brand new ingredient – quantum dots. These tiny particles emit particular colours of sunshine when illuminated, and are starting to seek out use in issues like TVs and photo voltaic cells.

On this case, the group used quantum dots product of a sort of tin oxide to function the electron-transport layer of the system. This layer shuttles electrons produced by the perovskite into the electrode, so the vitality can be utilized. In comparison with the standard titanium dioxide materials this layer is made out of, the quantum dots improved the system’s capability for capturing gentle, in addition to decreasing an impact that generally takes place between the 2 layers, which usually reduces effectivity.

All up, the group discovered that perovskite photo voltaic cells with a quantum dot layer achieved efficiencies of as much as 25.7 p.c – simply 0.1 p.c shy of the present perovskite report set by a tool measuring 0.08 cm² (0.01 in²). Efficiencies for bigger photo voltaic cells have been first rate too: the group recorded 23.3 p.c effectivity for a 1-cm² (0.2 in²) cell, 21.7 p.c for 20 cm² (3.1 in²) and 20.6 p.c for 64 cm² (9.9 in²).

The analysis was revealed within the journal Science.

Supply: EPFL by way of Eurekalert