Scientists have discovered a way to scale up perovskite solar cells so that they can remain stable, and allow to be tested for their efficiency in the same way as traditional solar cells.
Perovskite material has shown all the needed potential to replace silicon in traditional solar cells. It is seen as the cheaper alternative, which can boost the efficiency of the cells, while the manufacturing process remains exactly the same. Unfortunately, solar cells using Perovskite can not yet be accredited, as at larger scale, they show poor stability at the illuminated area.
This was the situation until now, at least. In the latest issue of the prestigious journal Science, however, a team of Swiss, Chinese and Japanese scientists, demonstrated a neat way to overcome this problem. They suggest that instead of changing the material itself, a new material should be added to the system.
According to the findings, which by the way have also been independently verified by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, the solution is very simple. All it takes is to place a two-layered thin film light collector over the solar cells, which not only stabilizes the material, but it also increases the conductivity of the devices.
The first layer of the film comprises of cubic rock salt semiconductor, which is positively charged. The second layer is made of titanium oxide, which is negatively charged. When light hits the perovskite solar cells, free electrons move through the titanium oxide layer, and are transported to the other layer through holes.
The team claims that their invention is stable enough to be accredited, in fact, it will also show a boost in efficiency. What is more, the film also acts as a protection layer against external factors like humidity, which has also been identified as a drawback of perovskite solar cells.
Image (c) Science
