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On January 8, according to a report from the Physicist Organization Network, researchers at the University of Nottingham in the United States have made a breakthrough by discovering an inexpensive inorganic material that can replace costly organic hole conductors in perovskite solar cells. This development could significantly lower production costs and improve efficiency. The findings were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Perovskite solar cells are considered one of the most promising photovoltaic technologies today. They boast a theoretical conversion efficiency of up to 50%, which is nearly double that of conventional solar cells, making them a game-changer in the renewable energy sector. While perovskite materials themselves are relatively low-cost, the current industry standard uses an expensive organic polymer called spiro-OMeTAD as a hole conductor, which is over ten times more expensive than gold.
In this new study, Jeffery Chris, Raymond Fung, and Prasty Cartem from the University of Notre Dame in the U.S. discovered that copper iodide—a simple inorganic compound—can serve as an effective alternative to spiro-OMeTAD. This discovery marks a significant step toward more affordable and sustainable solar technology.
"The inorganic hole conductor we've developed is far more cost-effective than previous options," said Chris. "This could lead to a substantial reduction in the overall manufacturing cost of perovskite solar cells."
Perovskite materials have a unique crystal structure that gives them natural advantages for solar cell applications. They allow for high charge carrier mobility and excellent light diffusion, minimizing energy loss during the photoelectric conversion process. Although copper iodide has been used before in other types of solar cells like dye-sensitized and quantum dot cells, its use in perovskite systems is a novel approach.
Copper iodide exhibits electrical conductivity that is two orders of magnitude higher than spiro-OMeTAD, leading to better fill factors and greater power output. However, the current version of the copper iodide-based perovskite solar cell still lags behind traditional models in terms of conversion efficiency. Researchers believe this may be due to lower voltage and are working on ways to address it by reducing recombination rates in the future.
Another key advantage of the copper iodide solar cell is its stability. In experiments, the device maintained full current output after two hours of continuous exposure to light, while the spiro-OMeTAD-based cell saw a 10% drop in current. This stability is critical for real-world applications. Chris mentioned that the next step is to refine the process to achieve higher efficiency and make the technology even more competitive.
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