23-Feb-2021

A long-cherished dream of materials researchers is a solar cell that converts sunlight into electrical energy as efficiently as silicon, but that can be easily and inexpensively fabricated from abundant materials. Scientists at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin have now come a step closer to achieving ...

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Dopant-free, humidity-stable organic layers give perovskite solar cells 21% efficiency

19-Jan-2021

Durable, high-performing perovskite solar cells also require durable, high-performing charge-transporting layers. Scientists have developed the first organic hole transporter that does not need a dopant to attain high charge mobility and stability. According to the study published in the journal ...

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04-Jan-2021

Photosynthetic proteins can convert light energy into other forms of energy. Researchers want to make this technology usable for the industrial production of fuels, for example. A research team from the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB), together with colleagues from Lisbon, has produced a ...

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Consistent performance over 300 hours

14-Dec-2020

An HZB team has published a report in the journal Science on the development of its current world record of 29.15% efficiency for a tandem solar cell made of perovskite and silicon. The tandem cell provided stable performance for 300 hours – even without encapsulation. To accomplish this, the ...

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08-Dec-2020

The group of so-called metal halide perovskites as materials has revolutionized the field of photovoltaics in recent years. Generally speaking, metal halide perovskites are crystalline materials that follow the structure ABX3, with varying composition. Here, A, B, and X can represent a ...

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01-Dec-2020

For the production of high-quality metal-halide perovskite thin-films for large area photovoltaic modules often optimized inks are used which contain a mixture of solvents. An HZB team at BESSY II has now analysed the crystallisation processes within such mixtures. A model has also been developed ...

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Scientists design novel transparent solar cells using thin silicon films, with efficient power generation

04-Nov-2020

Today, the imminent climate change crisis demands a shift from conventionally used fossil fuels to efficient sources of green energy. This has led to researchers looking into the concept of "personalized energy," which would make on-site energy generation possible. For example, solar cells could ...

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How to design organic solar cell materials

29-Oct-2020

A collaboration of scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPI-P) in Germany and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia have recently scrutinized organic solar cells and derived design rules for light-absorbing dyes that can help to ...

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Ready-to-wear solar cells

23-Oct-2020

Empa researchers succeeded in developing a material that works like a luminescent solar concentrator and can even be applied to textiles. This opens up numerous possibilities for producing energy directly where it is needed, i.e. in the use of everyday electronics. Our hunger for energy is ...

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An understanding of microscopic processes in perovskite solar cells can lead to increased efficiency

22-Sep-2020

When the sun rises, a complex dance begins in perovskite solar cells - a type of solar cell that can supplement or replace existing silicon solar cells in the future: Electrons are supplied with energy by light and move. Where electrons move, they leave holes. At the same time, ions move around ...

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