Experts from a group of well-regarded labs are taking a very close — think microscopic — look at perovskite solar cells. And the findings, detailed by Tech Xplore and Nature, provide pivotal insights into developing the promising suncatching material.
Perovskites are a family of crystal-structured minerals that can convert sunbeams into energy with high performance and low production costs, as described by the U.S. Department of Energy. But Tech Xplore explained that they are "less stable and scalable" than standard solar cells.
That's why the team of experts from the University of Cambridge, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, and Diamond Light Source are analyzing the material. Diamond, from the United Kingdom, is akin to a very large microscope. It uses electrons to create bright light that allows researchers to study nearly any material, per Tech Xplore and the Diamond website.
The result is a microscopy tool kit created specifically for the perovskite task. It is designed to focus analysis on charge, voltage, and current losses. Chemical composition was also studied, the lab summary stated.
"Our objective was to understand this microscopic interplay to boost the performance and long-term durability of these devices," said Miguel Anaya, a senior author on the paper, per Tech Xplore.
The team looked at how perovskite cells perform and degrade during operation and considered ways to improve them. Microscale variations in composition, recombination, and charge transport were among the factors studied. The analysis builds on past examinations, according to Tech Xplore.
"In our previous works, we showed that microscopic variations in the atomic structure and chemical composition can impact the material properties of perovskite thin-films," Samuel D. Stranks, another senior author on the paper, told Tech Xplore.
The solar cells include thin layers of other materials to help with the suncatching process. The team analyzed how those parts of the cells lose voltage and current as well.
As a result, some key findings were garnered.
"We showed that perovskite solar cells can tolerate substantial microscopic chemical variations, which is something very different to conventional solar cells like silicon," tool kit developer Cullen Chosy said, per Tech Xplore. "We also showed that they cannot tolerate variations in charge extraction. The messier the current is microscopically, the worse the solar cell performs—and even more strikingly, this messiness also results in the solar cells degrading considerably more quickly over time."
Common silicon solar panels are already a great energy provider, converting more than 20% of sunbeams into electricity, as noted by the DOE. In addition to preventing heat-trapping air pollution — a human health detriment — home-based setups provide legitimate savings. A government study recently found that the majority of homeowners who install rooftop solar save around $700 a year in energy costs. That's after deducting the initial expense. What's more, tax credits remain available to help offset those costs.
Back in the lab, the research team plans to continue working on the tool kit, with a focus on improving perovskite solar cell performance in a variety of temperatures and lighting conditions, according to Tech Xplore.
"We want to understand how these stresses affect perovskite solar cells from the atomic to module level and use this understanding to improve their viability towards commercialization," Stranks said, per Tech Xplore.
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