Perovskite

France’s Liten organization said it raised efficiency more than 20% with improved thickness homogeneity of the perovskite and optimized composition of the n-type interfacial layer. The previous record of 16.9% was attained by the same research group early last year.

The device exhibited a small performance loss after a 400-hour thermal stability test at 85 degrees Celsius and after the same period under maximum power point tracking at 40 degrees Celsius, according to its developer. The cell was made by combining solution-processed, micrometer-thick perovskite top cells with fully-textured silicon heterojunction bottom cells.

South Korean scientists have developed two perovskite solar cells based on a polymer made with peppermint oil and walnut aroma food additives, respectively. The new dopant‐free hole transport polymer is said to enable longer durability of the devices and to prevent lead-leakage.

The annual trade show was not particularly well-attended this year, but market sentiment is still positive in Japan – nobody believes that installations will drop due to the coronavirus outbreak. And the country’s upstream industry – modules, batteries, and hydrogen tech – clearly remains compelling, given the number of brave souls who actually did make the trip out to Tokyo Big Sight this year.

Researchers from China are proposing to use spent battery lead for creating a perovskite that can be used in the production of solar cells that are based on this promising material. The proposed one-step process, which was tested in the production of a 17.38% efficient perovskite heterojunction cell, is said to be cheaper and less energy-intensive than other recycling processes for waste lead from lead-acid batteries.

Italian researchers have added graphene to the titanium dioxide electron selective layer used in a perovskite cell to increase chemical stability. The two-terminal cell was made by stacking two sub-cells which were fabricated and optimized separately.

Scientists in China have used a fluorine-containing Lewis acid treatment to develop a perovskite cell that is said to retain between 63% and 80% of its initial efficiency after 14 days under 75% and 85% relative humidity.

A U.S. research group has used a lead-absorbing material to coat the front and rear of a perovskite solar cell stack. The researchers claim the films captured 96% of lead leakage when the cells were damaged.

Spanish researchers have unveiled a monolithic nano-structured perovskite silicon tandem device they claim can reduce optical losses by more than a third compared to planar perovskite cells of the same kind.

Japanese researchers have identified a perovskite material with a strong band edge gap and high stability which they say could offer 38.7% efficiency if used in the correct tandem cell architecture.