According to researchers, the latest breakthrough in solar technology has wide-ranging uses and could allow consumers to power home devices and personal devices such as keyboards, alarms, and sensors using only indoor ambient light. In the study, published April 30 in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, researchers used the perovskite to gather light in solar cells, according to the website Live Science.
The material is already used in other solar cells and has clear benefits over traditional silicon-based solar panels. According to the study, perovskite absorbs low-power, ambient light more efficiently than conventional methods, making it perfect for indoor applications. It is pertinent to mention that this material has not been used for the first time and has already been used in other solar cells. It has benefits over traditional silicon-based panels.
The study suggests that perovskite absorbs low-power, ambient light more efficiently than conventional methods, making it especially suitable for indoor applications, according to Live Science. The researchers discovered that the new perovskite cells were six times more efficient in comparison to the silicon-based solar cells.
Mojtaba Abdi Jalebi, associate professor in energy materials at University College London’s Institute for Materials Discovery, who is also a co-author in the study, claimed that in the long term, perovskite-derived solar cells represent a more sustainable and cost-effective alternative to batteries. “Billions of devices that require small amounts of energy rely on battery replacements, an unsustainable practice. This number will grow as the Internet of Things expands,” Jalebi said in a statement, as quoted by Live Science.
“Currently, solar cells capturing energy from indoor light are expensive and inefficient. Our specially engineered perovskite indoor solar cells can harvest much more energy than commercial cells and are more durable than other prototypes. It paves the way for electronics powered by the ambient light already present in our lives,” he added.
Challenges in Perovskite Composition
With marked benefits as compared to silicon-based materials, perovskite is already gaining popularity for use in solar panels. The material definitely has promising applications, but it also has multiple drawbacks regarding stability and longevity.
An important factor here lies in “traps,” very few defects in the perovskite’s crystal structure. Electrons become stuck in minute flaws and indentations within the material because of these traps, thereby preventing energy from being harnessed. Additionally, while traps hinder the flow of electricity, they also speed up material degradation over time due to the non-linear charge flow through the material.
In a bid to tackle the issue, the researchers who conducted the new study made use of a combination of chemicals to reduce the volume of these defects. This included the application of rubidium chloride, which “encouraged a more homogenous growth” of perovskite crystals and reduced the density of the traps, representatives said in the statement.
Two other chemicals, N, N-dimethyloctylammonium iodide (DMOAI) and phenethylammonium chloride (PEACl), both organic salts of ammonium, were also applied to stabilize two types of ions (iodide and bromide) and prevent them from separating. The study noted that this helped solve the problem of the solar cell’s long-term performance decline.
“The solar cell with these tiny defects is like a cake cut into pieces. Through a combination of strategies, we have put this cake back together again, allowing the charge to pass through it more easily,” study lead author Siming Huang, a doctoral student at UCL’s Institute for Materials Discovery, was quoted as saying by Live Science.
Tiny Solar Cells: Performance benefits
After tackling the issue of traps, researchers discovered that their solar cells converted 37.6% of indoor light into electricity. The researchers revealed that they achieved this at 1,000 lux, or the equivalent of a “well-lit office.”
The study also found that long-term durability improved, with the solar cells retaining 92% of their performance over 100 days. By comparison, a control device where the perovskite had not been altered to remove flaws retained 76% of its initial performance. Jalebi stated that the team is discussing ways with industry stakeholders to “explore scale-up strategies and commercial deployment” of the perovskite solar cells.
“The advantage of perovskite solar cells in particular is that they are low-cost—they use materials that are abundant on Earth and require only simple processing. They can be printed in the same way as a newspaper,” Jalebi said, as quoted by Live Science.