A study at the Federal University of ABC (UFABC) presents a new way to mitigate rapid degradation of Perovskita solar cells. The problem, which limits the use of these devices in everyday life, has challenged researchers in the area in search of viable solutions.
Perovskita solar cells are a very promising photovoltaic technology. They are as efficient as silicon and have lower production costs. In addition, they are light, flexible and semi -transparent, which opens numerous possibilities for applications such as windows, clothes or tents capable of generating electricity from sunlight.
However, the marketing of these cells bumps into their low durability, due to the degradation that the materials of the Perovskitas family suffer when exposed to moisture and ambient temperature conditions, both during production and during use. This deterioration impacts the performance of devices over time and therefore their durability.
In an article published in the Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells journal, the UFABC team described a process whose differential is the possibility of being performed without the strict moisture and temperature control that exists in laboratories dedicated to researching these devices.
“Solar cells of this work were obtained under ambient conditions, without major moisture controls, which can be more compatible with industrial preparation conditions,” explains Professor André Sarto Polo, study coordinator and member of the New Energy Innovation Center (Cine) – a Fapesp and Shell -supported Engineering Research Center (CPE).
Modulating the composition
The family of Perovskitas brings together materials of diverse chemical compositions. They all have the structure, formed by positive (cation) and negative (anions) ions. Perovskites based on methylane cations (MA+) and formidinium (FA+) are the most studied for use in solar cells.
In this new study, supported by FAPESP through three projects (17/11986-5, 22/07268-8 and 23/09820-2), the authors incorporated increasing amounts of Methylamical-based perovskites cations, characterized each of the materials obtained and, with them, assembled solar cells. The production and characterization of materials and devices were made in environments with relative humidity of 40% to 60%.
To test stability, these solar cells were exposed to ambient temperature and humidity for 90 days. Over this period, researchers systematically studied the properties of all devices in order to investigate the influence of formidinum addition on solar cell performance.
While the solar cells without FA+ had a sharp drop in efficiency shortly after assembled and stopped working at 30 days, cells with more than 25% FA+ maintained 80% of efficiency at the end of 90 days.
“This work demonstrates how the incorporation of MA+ -based PAOVSKITAS CATIONS causes increased durability of perovskita solar cells made and measured in ambient conditions,” summarizes Polo.
According to it, this is because the addition of formidinium generates an increase in the size of the grain that form the crystal structure of Perovskita, reducing the total extension of the edges. Because edges are moisture accumulation points, Perovskita suffers less degradation and the solar cell keeps its good performance longer.
The research, conducted during the doctorate of Lucas Polimante, opens out prospects for developing more durable Perovskita solar cells that can be produced with lower costs in more friendly conditions for the industrial environment.
In addition to FAPESP and Shell, the group was funded by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and the Higher Education Personnel Improvement Coordination (CAPES), as well as strategic support from the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP).
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This content was originally published in simple process increases the durability of Perovskita solar cells on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Charles Grill is a tech-savvy writer with over 3 years of experience in the field. He writes on a variety of technology-related topics and has a strong focus on the latest advancements in the industry. He is connected with several online news websites and is currently contributing to a technology-focused platform.
