| Sep 10, 2021 |
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(Nanowerk News) Researchers from ITMO’s School of Physics and Engineering have created a paste of titanium dioxide and resonant silicon nanoparticles which will improve the expertise of photocurrent in perovskite solar cells and maximize their effectivity.
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The outcomes of the work have been described in a paper printed in Nano Energy (“Mie-resonant mesoporous electron transport layer for highly efficient perovskite solar cells”).
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The effectivity of halide perovskite solar cells is over 25%, which together with their low worth makes them most likely essentially the most promising devices in fashionable photovoltaics. One of two strategies will be utilized to further improve their effectivity: enhancing the price assortment or rising delicate absorption by the price producing layer. The first method moreover means the need to introduce completely different substances or 2D buildings into perovskites, which makes the following devices costlier.
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Researchers from ITMO University together with colleagues from Tor Vergata University went spherical this disadvantage by means of using Mie-resonant silicon nanoparticles, as silicon is probably going one of many parts most accessible in nature. They used colloid chemistry methods to create a silicon-based nanoparticle paste to precisely administration the sunshine scattering inside a perovskite solar cell. This reply made it doable to increase the expertise of photo-induced current inside the perovskite building and attain the effectivity most of solar cells based totally on the perfect perovskite composition.
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“We have improved the titanium paste that is needed to selectively collect electrons in perovskite cells. We add resonant nanoparticles to the electron transport paste in a chosen concentration in the process of solar cells’ production. This way, the preparation process doesn’t get more complicated – and it helps that silicon particles are cheap, too,” explains Aleksandra Furasova, first author of the paper and a junior evaluation affiliate at ITMO’s School of Physics and Engineering. “We have also analyzed the effect of the spatial location of the nanoparticles on the direction of light propagation and changed their concentration in the paste, so that all the incident light is focused on the perovskite. This directly affects the efficiency of converting light into electricity, as well as all main photovoltaic parameters. Using multi-physical calculations, we identified the optimal nanoparticle concentration and developed an ideal paste to create the electron transport layer that helped us reach nearly maximal efficiency for this type of solar cell.”
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According to the researchers, it was important to optimize the spatial location of silicon nanoparticles inside the considered devices. In order to take motion, they equipped numerical calculations that accounted for electrophysical and optical properties of all layers and nanoparticles after they’re subjected to exterior radiation and voltage. These calculations allowed them to learn the way the scale of and distance between resonant nanoparticles impacts the optical and electrophysical properties of your entire building.
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The advisable method is simple, accessible, universally related, and doesn’t significantly improve the manufacturing costs of solar cells.
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“In this project, we applied the spin coating method, meaning that we get thin homogeneous films as liquids deposit on the flat substrates, but other methods can also be used to scale the technology. The resulting paste is a multipurpose product that can be used in production of other kinds of perovskite solar cells, as well as for photodetectors and other perovskite-based optoelectronic devices. We believe that this solution will be in demand,” suggestions Sergey Makarov, professor at ITMO’s School of Physics and Engineering.
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