Published in Science, the research led by The University of Toledo, Ohio, in collaboration with the University of Washington, University of Toronto, Northwestern University and Empa (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology) solved the problem with the durability of perovskite solar cells.
“Perovskite solar cells offer a route to lowering the cost of solar electricity given their high-power conversion efficiencies and low manufacturing cost,” said Dr Yanfa Yan, UToledo Distinguished University Professor of physics and a member of the UToledo Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization. “However, we needed to strengthen the emerging solar cell technology’s endurance during outdoor operation.”
The technology needs to survive for decades outdoors in all kinds of weather and temperatures without corroding or breaking down.
“This challenge is no longer a roadblock to deploying the potential of perovskite solar cells,” Yan said in a statement. “Our breakthrough work improved device stability and presents ways of achieving success after a decade of research and development.”
The team’s research identified the compound that enhances adhesion and mechanical toughness. They experimentally demonstrated that perovskite solar cells treated with 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane (DPPP), a diphosphine Lewis base molecule, retained a high-power conversion efficiency and exhibited superior durability after continuous operation under simulated sun illumination for over 3,500 hours.
For their research the team used one sun illumination, the equivalent to outdoor sunlight.
“Phosphine-containing Lewis base molecules with two electron-donating atoms have a strong binding with the perovskite surface,” said Yan. “We saw the robust beneficial effects on perovskite film quality and device performance when we treated the perovskite solar cells with DPPP.”
“DPPP is also a commercialised product with low cost and easy accessibility, which make it suitable for the commercialisation of perovskite solar cells,” said Dr. Zhaoning Song, a research assistant professor in Yan’s lab at UToledo and one of the authors on the new paper.
Researchers said the next step to move the technology forward is to employ their findings to make perovskite panels stable.
“Continuing to exploit the potentiality in the stability of perovskite solar cells is a crucial priority for the ongoing decarbonisation of the world’s economy,” said Dr Chongwen Li, the first author of the study. “After the successful demonstration of DPPP on improving the stability of perovskite solar cells, we are further applying it to large area perovskite solar panels and moving the prototype device forward to commercialisation.”
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