NUST MISIS: Perovskite battery stabilization technology

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2022: Development of perovskite battery stabilization technology

Scientists of NUST MISIS managed to increase the service life of perovskite-based solar panels five times: to increase stability, increase wear resistance and reduce power losses under the influence of external factors. To do this, a two-dimensional nanomaterial, maxene, was added to the architecture of the device, which made it possible to triple the thermal resistance of perovskite elements and reduce efficiency losses by up to 4%, representatives of NITU MISIS told TAdviser on September 19, 2022. The main feature of the development is the availability of scaling of this method in industrial processes, since it does not complicate the design of the device.

Russian scientists have increased the life of perovskite-based solar panels by five times

The most common component of solar panels as of 2022 is crystalline silicon photocells, which require sophisticated technologies to create, high temperatures and large capital costs for equipment, which significantly increases the final cost of the product. The maximum efficiency of such devices is about 26%, the limit for the efficiency of obtaining energy from solar cells is 33%, which implies the difficulty of further increasing their efficiency.

An alternative to silicon photocells can be thin-film perovskite solar cells, which use a hybrid material - perovskite, which absorbs light more and more efficiently than silicon in thin films (the thickness of the perovskite solar cell is 1 μm, and for silicon - 200 μm). Also, unlike silicon, perovskite-based solar cells can be applied to almost any substrate, such as glass or a flexible surface. In addition, perovskite solar panels can generate energy even in an office space by charging from light bulbs. The cost of such energy in the industrial production of perovskite photocells can become cheaper than energy from traditional sources - oil, coal and gas.

However, the perovskite solar cell is still unstable and short-lived, since chemical reactions between layers, as well as environmental factors, accelerate the processes of corrosion and reduction in efficiency.

Scientists at NITU MISIS, the University of Grenoble Alps and the University of Rome Tor Vergata have proposed technology for stabilizing perovskite batteries and increasing their corrosion resistance using maxens (MXenes) - two-dimensional carbides or transition metal nitrides.

"As a layer between the n-layer of fullerene and the copper cathode was a hybrid of batocuproin and maxene - two-dimensional titanium carbide. The best sample was found at a concentration of batocuproin in isopropanol of 0.5 mg/mL and maxene of 0.75 mg/mL. The efficiency of this sample was 17.46% versus 16.45% of the sample without adding maxene. At the same time, the wear resistance of samples containing maxene in conditions of constant exposure to light and heat is several times higher than that of samples without maxene, "said Danila Saranin, Ph.D., Deputy Head of the Laboratory of Promising Solar power at MISIS University."

According to him, when testing the thermal resistance at 80 ° C, the efficiency of the solar cell with maxen decreased to 80% from the initial value after 1080 hours of operation, while the element without maxene gave out 330 hours. The light absorption test revealed that due to maxen, the efficiency decreased by 4% of the initial value after 2300 hours, the efficiency of the sample without maxen decreased to 80% in 430 hours.

The experiments confirmed that the addition of a hybrid of batocuproin and maxene as an "interface" between the n-layer and the cathode not only increases the efficiency of the perovskite solar cell, but also contributes to long-term stabilization between the layers. Maxen prevents chemical decomposition and increases the wear resistance of the device. The results of the study are published in the journal Small.

Interface engineering of scientists of NUST MISIS and foreign colleagues can be a solution to the problem of limited service life and rapid reduction of efficiency of perovskite solar cells. In fact, the addition of a special material - maxene in the ink for printing solar panels can significantly increase its durability, explained in NITU MISIS.

"MISIS University, as part of the implementation of the strategic project" Materials of the Future "of the state program" Priority 2030, "sets itself the task of reducing the period for creating new materials from 20 to 5, and in some cases to 2 years. Scientists from the laboratory of promising solar power are conducting research in the field of increasing the life and efficiency of new generation solar cells, - said Alevtina Chernikova, rector of NUST MISIS. "

As of September 19, 2022, the development team will adapt the method for industrial implementation and plans to move to pilot prototyping in a wide format. Scientists are actively developing applied solutions based on this technology and are open to cooperation on the development of product areas.

See also

• Halide perovskites