Key Findings
A research team from the University of Science and Technology of China has demonstrated a certified power conversion efficiency of 26.1% for perovskite solar cells fabricated under ambient air conditions. Notably, the devices maintained this performance even when produced at 80% relative humidity. This result was achieved by blade-coating all three critical layers: the self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), the perovskite absorber, and the passivation layer.
Technical Details
The core innovation is a two-ingredient solvent blend consisting of alcohol and a low-polarity alkane. This “chemical shield” addresses the hygroscopic nature of alcohol-based solvents and the functional materials they carry. While the alcohol dissolves the passivation agents and SAMs, the low-polarity alkane suppresses moisture uptake during the blade-coating process.
Chemical and optoelectronic analyses confirmed that this solvent system prevents two primary failure modes:
- Hydrolysis of organoammonium halide passivation layers.
- Desorption of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs).
The researchers state this is a general approach applicable across multiple hygroscopic materials rather than a fix for a single compound.
Background & Context
While perovskite efficiency rivals silicon, scaling production has traditionally required tightly controlled cleanrooms to protect sensitive layers from moisture. Blade coating is the preferred industrial method due to its compatibility with roll-to-roll manufacturing, but applying moisture-sensitive layers via this method in ambient conditions has previously been difficult to demonstrate successfully.
Significance & Outlook
Eliminating the requirement for humidity-controlled environments significantly shifts the economics of solar manufacturing by lowering infrastructure costs for new market entrants. Because blade coating is compatible with continuous industrial lines, this method offers a viable path to scalable production without sacrificing performance. Future critical tests will focus on long-term stability under real-world conditions and the transition from small research cells to module-scale demonstration.
Source: https://energiesmedia.com/perovskite-solar-cells-efficiency/
Get our weekly technology intelligence — free
Receive an infographic that lets you judge at a glance whether each field’s analysis report is worth reading.
Subscribe Free — Weekly Tech Intelligence
By subscribing, you’ll receive Troy-Technical’s weekly technology intelligence newsletter.
- Your email and selected fields are used only to deliver the newsletter.
- We never share your information with third parties.
- You can unsubscribe anytime via the link in each email.
See our Privacy Policy for details.
Takes about a minute · Unsubscribe anytime
