Seville, July 25, 2016. A new photovoltaic cell that allows for better use of sunlight is the bold proposal of a team led by researchers from the Institute of Materials Science of Seville (ICMS), part of the Isla de la Cartuja Scientific Research Center (cicCartuja). Theoretical designs supported by preliminary proofs of concept —which have recently been published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A— demonstrate that it is possible to exceed the efficiency of current devices by a wide margin, using technology already available in the laboratory.
In recent years, a particular family of compounds that present a perovskite-type crystalline structure have emerged as exceptional materials for the construction of solar cells. Among these is methylammonium lead iodide, which allows the development of photovoltaic devices with efficiencies greater than 20% and with a low manufacturing cost. However, this material has not yet reached its efficiency ceiling and there are many avenues being explored to increase its performance.
New perspectives for a material that is attracting the attention of the scientific community
Among these is the development of new perovskites by modifying the formulation of the compound in order to achieve better use of sunlight. In collaboration with other scientists from the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne and the Adolphe Merkle Institute of Fribourg (Switzerland), ICMS researchers propose a novel tandem solar cell design in which the active materials of the two photovoltaic cells that are combined are perovskites. The results obtained reveal a magnificent potential to achieve a more efficient conversion of solar energy into electricity.
Led by Professor Hernán Míguez, the Multifunctional Optical Materials group has been responsible for coordinating this research funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the prestigious European Research Council, whose mission is to provide support to excellent and highly innovative research projects.
The results have been featured on the cover of the journal and are included in the article with reference: Miguel Anaya, Juan P. Correa-Baena, Gabriel Lozano, Michael Saliba, Pablo Anguita, Bart Roose, Antonio Abate, Ullrich Steiner, Michael Grätzel, Mauricio E. Calvo, Anders Hagfeldt and Hernán Míguez. Optical analysis of CH3NH3SnxPb1−xI3 absorbers: a roadmap for perovskite-on-perovskite tandem solar cells. Journal of Materials Chemistry A 2016, 4, 11214-11221.
