Researchers from the University of Queensland have set a new world record for solar cell efficiency with eco-friendly tin halide perovskite technology (THP).
“The benefit of THP’s is that we’re dealing with more eco-friendly tin and not the toxic lead that is widely used in most of the perovskite solar cells, meaning they can be safely installed around the home,” said team member, Dr Dongxu He.
“We are thrilled with the record and also to be contributing to the progress of cost-effective renewable energy technology,” said professor Lianzhou Wang.
The team being led by Wang at UQ’s Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology and the School of Chemical engineering, has unveiled the THP solar cell capable of converting sunlight into electricity at a certified record efficiency of 16.65 per cent.
“It might not seem like much, but this is a giant leap in a field that is renowned for delicate and incremental progress,” said Wang.
Wang’s THP solar cell record comes five years after his lab set a benchmark for power conversion efficiency in solar cells using another type of technology, quantum dots.
“The reading is in line with many silicon-based solar cells currently on the market but with the potential to be cheaper and quicker to make.”
Dr He said that many of the methods, processes, and materials used to set the quantum dot record in 2020 inspired efforts to improve the performance of the highly promising THP thin-film solar cells.
“There is great commercial potential in THP solar cells because perovskite devices are more sustainable to produce than silicon-based solar cells,” Dr He said.
The use of tin had previously been problematic due to the substandard quality of the fast-crystalline thin films used in manufacturing THP solar cells, resulting in a dip in efficiency.
The group overcame this hurdle by incorporating caesium ions to improve the microstructure and reduce defects in the THP film.