The Chemical Connection: Don’t Just Blame the Etcher
It’s Only Common Sense: Doing Business the Elon Musk Way
Nolan's Notes: ConvergencePerovskite Photovoltaics Excitement
September 21, 2015 | IDTechExEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Perovskite photovoltaics efficiency gains are double those of organic PV, exciting researchers from KIMM in Korea to Dyesol in Australia. However, it is like the little girl, "When she was good she was very, very good and when she was bad she was awful". Perovoskite photovoltaics promises over 20% efficiency, low cost materials and even flexible, transparent and stretchable versions dearly needed for new applications. Record power to weight ratio is needed for the electric vehicle end game, the land vehicles, boats and aircraft described in the IDTechEx report, Energy Independent Vehicles 2016-2026.
Ultrathin, flexible, stretchable and lightweight versions have been produced by Johannes Kepler University in Austria powering a miniature aircraft and airship. With 100% yield, exhibiting 12% efficiency they are only 3μm thick and weigh 5.2g m-3. Organolead halide perovskites are promising because they absorb light more efficiently: thinner layers are needed. Researchers suggest it could power EIVs as robotic insects and drones, and its flexibility and stretchability could be useful in bio-electronics.
But when she was bad she was awful. PbI, one of the breakdown products of the perovskite, is both toxic and carcinogenic. A glass panel can be made hermetically sealed, but plastics can be easily pierced. We need a barrier layer to make flexible versions last for 5- 10 years, and yet still not be that much heavier and even then it will not be chewable by children as required for packaging and toys. OPV will be better for that.
The new IDTechEx report, The Rise of Perovskite Solar Cells 2015-2025 External Link finds that the stability of perovskite cells under ambient conditions is a persistent problem. The perovskite decomposes in the presence of water and the decay products attack metal electrodes. Heavy encapsulation to protect perovskite can add to the cell cost and weight. Water vapour penetrating the perovskite can produce reactive iodides that rapidly corrode the metal electrodes.
Progress is being made. New perovskite solar cells with 16% efficiency have been developed by researchers from Switzerland and China. Stable and moisture resistant, they overcome some of the problems of perovskites. An interlayer protects the metal, allowing the cells to preserve their efficiency for two days. The resulting solar cell has greatly enhanced stability because of stabilising crosslinks in the material. These are formed by the phosphonic acid ammonium additive hooking together the perovskite crystallites through strong hydrogen bonding with the phosphorus and nitrogen-containing terminal groups of the linker molecule. The team explains that the additive allows the perovskite to be incorporated uniformly within and on the surface of a mesoporous titanium dioxide scaffold material. This nearly doubles the efficiency from 8.8 to 16.7% and it makes it moisture resistant, as the cations passivate the surface and render it inaccessible to water molecules. Next, the hysteresis in the J-V curves will be removed enhancing efficiency.
On the other hand, IDTechEx advises that lead free perovskites in photovoltaics have very low efficiency but the many other benefits may find them a market slot and they will be improved in efficiency in due course. All this will be covered by IMEC of Belgium, IDTechEx and others in presentations and masterclasses at the IDTechEx Show! External Link November 18-19 in Santa Clara California. It has 3000 paying delegates, 250 exhibitors and 23 masterclasses. Eight parallel conferences include "Energy Harvesting and Storage", "Photovoltaics" and "Electric Vehicles: Everything is Changing".
Share on:
Suggested Items
OSIRIS-REx Sample Capsule Safely Touches Down With NASA's First-Ever Asteroid Sample
09/25/2023 | Lockheed MartinFollowing a rapid and red-hot descent through Earth's atmosphere, NASA's OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule touched down in the desert at 8:52 a.m. MT, returning NASA's first-ever asteroid sample.
It’s Only Common Sense: Doing Business the Elon Musk Way
09/25/2023 | Dan Beaulieu -- Column: It's Only Common SenseI’m reading Walter Isaacson’s biography of Elon Musk and it’s great because you get an in-depth description of what the richest man in the world is really like. It’s worth the time, and I strongly recommend it. Believe me, I’ll be doing a book review once I’m finished. In almost every meeting, especially when Musk feels that his workers are getting off track, he will recite what he calls “The Algorithm.” Most of his workers know it so well they sometimes mouth the words along with him. Here’s how it goes.
Saab Receives Order for Additional Functionality for Gripen E
09/13/2023 | SaabSaab and the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) have entered into an agreement regarding new functionality and adjusted delivery schedules for Gripen E and Gripen C/D.
CalcuQuote, Arrow Electronics Collaborate on New Webinar
09/07/2023 | CalcuQuoteCalcuQuote is excited to announce an upcoming webinar in collaboration with Arrow Electronics, a global technology solutions and services provider.
Punching Out: The Power of Projections
09/07/2023 | Tom Kastner -- Column: Punching Out!We are headed toward that time of year many of us dread—budgeting for the next year. This budgeting process becomes a huge tug-of-war because there is a lot at stake in terms of resources, bonuses, and pride. Unfortunately, many companies either give it little effort or they forgo the process entirely. However, budgets and projections are very important, especially in the world of M&A. When selling a business, projections are important for several reasons.