New discovery will extend the lifespan of perovskite solar cells

Perovskite cells are much cheaper and more flexible than their silicon counterparts. Their flexible structure allows them to be applied to cars and phones as a printed layer so they can be charged on the go. But perovskites have several serious drawbacks. Most notably, they degrade quickly due to chemical reactions with atmospheric moisture, causing iodine to escape. A new discovery could change that.

Scientists have produced a cheap and flexible solar cell that lasts almost 10 times longer than others of its type. By embedding nanoparticles in perovskites, the team created a new cell that lasts 1,530 hours, a nearly tenfold increase over previous perovskite solar cell designs. They published their findings in the journal EES Solar.

Solar energy, the fastest-growing and cheapest form of renewable energy, is key to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But the technology’s development has been hampered by its reliance on silicon, a finite and non-renewable resource that is expensive to produce in its pure form. So scientists have sought to develop perovskite alternatives—synthetic versions of naturally occurring crystals of calcium oxide and titanium dioxide that can be produced at a fraction of the cost.

But unlike pure silicon cells, which can last for decades, solar cells made from perovskite only last for 100 hours, severely limiting their usefulness. In the new study, the researchers looked for a way to capture the iodine that leaks out of perovskites. Their solution was to incorporate tiny nanoparticles of aluminum oxide into the cells during their manufacturing. This not only prevented the iodine from leaking out, but also created a more uniform and electrically conductive structure.

After testing these cells in extreme heat and humidity, the researchers found that the modified cells maintained high performance for more than two months (1,530 hours), a significant improvement over the 160-hour lifespan of perovskite cells without this enhancement.