World record set by triple-junction perovskite/Si tandem solar cell

The breakthrough by a team from the National University of Singapore (NUS) required the development of a new cyanate-integrated perovskite solar cell that is stable and energy efficient.

Solar cells can be fabricated in more than two layers and assembled to form multi-junction solar cells to increase efficiency. Each layer is made of different photovoltaic materials and absorbs solar energy within a different range. Current multi-junction solar cell technologies pose many issues, such as energy loss which leads to low voltage and instability of the device during operation.

To overcome these challenges, Assistant Professor Hou Yi led a team of scientists from NUS College of Design and Engineering (CDE) and Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS) to demonstrate the integration of cyanate into a perovskite solar cell to develop a triple-junction perovskite/Si tandem solar cell that surpasses the performance of other similar multi-junction solar cells.

“Remarkably, after 15 years of ongoing research in the field of perovskite-based solar cells, this work constitutes the first experimental evidence for the inclusion of cyanate into perovskites to boost the stability of its structure and improve power conversion efficiency,” Asst Prof Hou said in a statement.