Swansea team on a roll with printed perovskite solar cells

A team at Swansea University's SPECIFIC Innovation and Knowledge Centre, led by Professor Trystan Watson, has reported using a roll-to-roll fabrication method for four layers of slot-die coated PSCs.

Printed perovskite solar cell shows industry appeal

The PSCs gave the stable power output of 12.2 per cent, which is the highest efficiency recorded for four layers of roll-to-roll printed PSCs to date.

In contrast to silicon photovoltaics (PV), which require high temperature and high vacuum depositions, PSCs can be solution-processed at a low temperature, which makes it possible to use plastic substrates to create flexible solar cells.

According to SPECIFIC, the ability to solution-process provides the opportunity to apply well-developed printing and coating techniques including screen, inkjet and gravure printing, plus slot-die and spray coating.

These advantages made it possible for Swansea University researchers to use roll-to-roll manufacturing for four layers of PSCs.

Slot-die coating is a pre-metred technique, which means the wet film thickness can be controlled before coating. It is also highly efficient in material usage, with minimal loss of material compared with spray coating or screen printing.