The transfer rate of solar cells grounded on perovskite crystals has boosted from 3.8 to 22.1 percent in even less than a decade time. It is an unexpected growth in the field of photovoltaics. “Perovskites have moved the entire photovoltaic sector,” says Michael Gratzel, the director of Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne Laboratory of Interfaces and Photonics. In an attempt to maintain the progress is moving, he and his team members have identified a method to grow bigger and better functioning pervoskite cells – just with the help of a commonly available acrylic glass.
Crystallization of perovskite is difficult to regulate, confirms Gratzel. So, manufacturers are always in the risk of developing unwanted defects that can drastically diminish the performance of solar cells. “When you attempt to crystallize any element out of solution, there is some level of control required. Otherwise, the crystals will just expand infinitely,” he says.
According to the research, Gratzel and his team associated disclosed that the polymer ply methyl methacrylate, also known as PMMA, which is nothing but acrylic glass could function as a template to assist control over perovskite crystallization. “It offers you a novel way to handle and prepare perovskite for better growth,” says Gratzel.
PMMA is basically already has been placed on the back of perovskite gadgets to safeguard them from moisture. Dongqin Bi at the EPFL identified that since perovskites already abided PMMA, the polymer may also cater as an excellent template for perovskite growth and nucleation, says Gratzel.
In recent studies, the scientists could reproducibly expand smooth, shiny and stable perovskite layers with an excellent conversion rate of up to 21.6 percent. It is absolutely an incredible growth that has offered the researchers with a solution to various problems and experiments related to perovskite material. “By incorporating a templating agent to regulate these two procedures, the quality of crystal is enhanced both on the basis of size and on electrical grounds,” says Gratzel.
The researchers at present are working to enhance the efficacy of perovskite solar cells to much greater extent. They are trying and experimenting with novel materials and things such as the geometry of cells to prevent or reduce voltage loss. According to Gratzel, “most of the individuals consider the improvement or boost of 24 to 25 percent simply doable in the approximate terms.” But what Gratzel believes is that is this much efficacy and improvement is sufficient or is there still scope for improvement. For this reason, he and his team members are still conducting other experiments based on perovskites materials in order to judge out the improvement in conversion rate.
Future studies will also open up doors for other equally tempting agents. As an example given by Gratzel, “perovskites are great lovers of carbon based materials and as a result materials like carbon-60 and graphene platelets seems exceedingly interesting for carrying various sorts of researches related to the perovskites.”
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