Solar cell material performs better under pressure
Wednesday, July 15, 2020 - 07:00
in Physics & Chemistry
Solar cells produced from a combination of silicon and perovskite—especially the variant with mixed halides such as iodine and bromine—can be more efficient and cheaper than traditional silicon solar cells because they convert a greater proportion of the sunlight into electricity. However, perovskites degrade under the influence of light, and so they cannot yet be used for commercial applications. Substituting the cation (positively charged ion) in the structure improves the material's stability. Researchers from AMOLF have now revealed that this improvement arises from compression of the structure, comparable to applying considerable pressure on it. They have published their results in Cell Reports Physical Science.