Chinese Scientists Have Discovered a “Secret” Hidden Structure in Perovskite Solar Cells

A research team from HKUST has enhanced perovskite solar cell performance by discovering and eliminating surface concavities on the crystal grains of the films, paving the way for greater commercial viability of this promising technology.

A research team from the School of Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has discovered surface concavities on individual crystal grains, the fundamental building blocks of perovskite thin films. They revealed the significant impact of these concavities on the film’s properties and reliability. Based on this fundamental science discovery, the team pioneered a new way of making perovskite solar cells more efficient and stable via a chemo-elimination of these grain surface concavities.

Perovskite solar cells are a stellar solar-cell technology that has demonstrated potential to replace existing silicon solar cells in a wide range of application scenarios, for example, grid electricity, portable power, and space photovoltaics. They not only attain higher power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) than commercial silicon cells, but also offer advantages in terms of low material costs, sustainable manufacturing, and high versatility in transparency and colors. However, the long-term stability of perovskite devices under light, humidity, and thermomechanical conditions remains a hurdle in the commercialization of this promising solar technology.