Researchers solve perovskites puzzle for better solar cells

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.

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“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.