University of Queensland researchers have developed a safe and scalable vapour-based manufacturing process for fabricating high-quality lead-free perovskite material with fewer performance-limiting defects.
Indoor perovskite solar cells operate under low-intensity artificial light, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and fluorescent lamps, but most rely on lead-based hazardous materials.
The new fabrication method eliminates the need for toxic lead and other hazardous solvents.
UQ Chemical Engineer and research co-lead Dr Miaoqiang Lyu said the technology his team has developed eliminates those materials while still delivering high efficiency.
“By removing those solvents entirely, the process is much better suited to scalable manufacturing,” Lyu said.
Image: The University of Queensland
Efficiency
Lyu said halide perovskites are an emerging technology that could replace silicon, offering much higher efficiencies and commercial potential.
“Indoor solar cells themselves are not new, but the power conversion efficiency of the commercial silicon-based technology is only around 10%,” he said.
Using the new method, the panels achieved an efficiency of 16.36% — the highest reported for this type of lead-free perovskite indoor solar cell made using an industry-compatible evaporation method.
Commercial use
Panels fabricated using the UQ process are thin, scalable and can be made on flexible plastic and in different shapes, making them easy to integrate into a range of products.
They offer an alternative to coin-cell and button batteries for low-power electronics like environmental sensors, wearables, medical and health monitoring devices, and small consumer electronics.
Battery-powered electronic shelf labels being trialled by supermarkets are also a potential early application of the technology.
“People will probably see perovskite indoor panels and integrated consumer electronics in the market in the next few years,” Lyu said.
Further testing
“I think the key here is encapsulation, to protect the material from oxygen and moisture,” Lyu said.
The research was published in ACS Energy Letters.
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