Researchers at ICFO have launched a post-deposition in situ passivation method designed to attenuate floor defects in eco-friendly, solution-processed nanocrystal ultrathin photo voltaic cells. This modern method has achieved the best recorded energy conversion effectivity for such a photo voltaic cell thus far.
With local weather change intensifying, renewable power sources have gained momentum, with photo voltaic cells on the forefront of this transition. In 2023, as an example, Spain’s put in photo voltaic photovoltaic energy elevated by 28 % in comparison with the earlier 12 months, making up 20.3 % of the nation’s power combine—a development equally mirrored throughout Western nations.
Regardless of the environmental advantages of photo voltaic cells, they usually depend on supplies that aren’t totally sustainable.
Increasing photo voltaic power use past conventional photo voltaic farms to energy buildings, infrastructure, IoT methods, and even autos is more and more seen as the way forward for renewable power. Reaching this imaginative and prescient requires photo voltaic cell expertise that’s light-weight, cost-effective, versatile, and eco-friendly. In response, the scientific neighborhood is specializing in sustainable options that not solely preserve or improve power era effectivity but additionally decrease manufacturing prices and simplify the manufacturing processes of present photo voltaic applied sciences.
Colloidal silver bismuth sulfide (AgBiS2) nanocrystals have emerged as a promising, environmentally pleasant different for photo voltaic cells. Identified for his or her exceptionally excessive absorption coefficient, AgBiS2 nanocrystals allow the creation of ultrathin-film absorbers ideally suited for photo voltaic purposes. Though layer-by-layer manufacturing has already produced photo voltaic cells with spectacular efficiency, transferring from this multi-step deposition methodology to a streamlined, single-step method is important to scale back materials waste, decrease prices, and improve scalability in manufacturing.
Growing AgBiS2 nanocrystal inks might make this single-step manufacturing method a actuality. Since 2020, varied research have explored this path, but AgBiS2 nanocrystals nonetheless exhibit vital floor defects, resulting in low energy conversion effectivity in photo voltaic cells.
Present floor passivation strategies, which goal to handle these defects, have confirmed ineffective. These residual defects entice cost carriers generated by daylight, inflicting recombination and in the end lowering the gadget’s effectivity to ranges under these achieved with the layer-by-layer methodology.
To deliver the effectivity of eco-friendly photo voltaic cells as much as aggressive ranges, a less complicated but simpler passivation method for AgBiS2 nanocrystal ink is required.
In a latest breakthrough, ICFO researchers—Dr. Jae Taek Oh, Dr. Yongjie Wang, Dr. Carmelita Rodà, Dr. Debranjan Mandal, Dr. Gaurav Kumar, and Dr. Man Luke Whitworth, underneath the steering of ICREA Prof. Gerasimos Konstantatos—launched a promising resolution.
The staff’s research, printed in Power & Environmental Science, presents a post-deposition in situ passivation (P-DIP) method that enhances floor passivation and considerably improves the optoelectronic properties of nanocrystal ink movies. This modern methodology led to ultrathin photo voltaic cells with superior energy conversion effectivity in comparison with these produced with multi-step deposition, marking a brand new effectivity report for sustainable nanocrystal photo voltaic cells.
Put up-Deposition in situ Passivation For Improved Floor Passivation
Researchers at ICFO had been capable of efficiently passivate floor flaws of their nanocrystal ink sheet.
Think about a bumpy street that slows down automobiles. Floor passivation is like repaving the street, making it smoother so automobiles can transfer with out getting caught. In our case, the elimination of floor defects is essential to facilitate the transportation of cost carriers created from mild absorption in nanocrystal movies. With our P-DIP methodology, cost carries might transfer with out ‘bumping into so many obstacles’ inside the AgBiS2 nanocrystals skinny movie.
Dr. Jae Taek Oh, Examine First Creator and Researcher, ICFO
Successfully mitigating defects by way of an improved passivation technique resulted in greater movie high quality and, consequently, better-performing photo voltaic cells. These cells achieved an effectivity of roughly 10 %, surpassing that of earlier AgBiS2 nanocrystal-based photo voltaic cells produced by way of each single-step and layer-by-layer deposition strategies.
To attain these outcomes, the analysis staff synthesized AgBiS2 nanocrystal ink by introducing a multifunctional molecular agent containing chlorine. This agent’s molecular construction helped stabilize the nanocrystals and ensured even dispersion inside the resolution—each important for creating easy coatings.
Following movie deposition, the staff utilized additional passivation to the AgBiS2 nanocrystal surfaces. This particular in situ passivation method prolonged the service lifetime and optimized service transport inside the movie, each crucial for enhancing photo voltaic cell effectivity. Collectively, these components enabled the unprecedented efficiency that ICFO researchers demonstrated on this research, setting a brand new benchmark for sustainable photo voltaic cell expertise.
Journal Reference:
Oh, J. T., et al. (2024) Put up-Deposition In-Situ Passivation of AgBiS2 Nanocrystal Inks for Excessive-Effectivity Extremely-Skinny Photo voltaic Cells. Power & Environmental Science. doi.org/10.1039/d4ee03266g.