Project Name: Identifying Impacts of Process, Precursors and Defects in Metal Halide Perovskite Solar Cells
Funding Opportunity: Solar Energy Technologies Office Fiscal Year 2018 Funding Program (SETO FY2018)
SETO Research Area: Photovoltaics
Location: Princeton, NJ
SETO Award Amount: $1,500,000
Awardee Cost Share: $375,000
Principal Investigator: Barry Rand

-- Award and cost share amounts are subject to change pending negotiations --

This project team will identify materials and methods to prevent degradation of high-efficiency perovskite solar cells, which degrade rapidly compared with conventional silicon solar cells when exposed to light, outdoor air, and moisture. Results of this project should increase the stability and lifetime of perovskite solar cells.

APPROACH

Perovskite solar cells are made by depositing a perovskite solution onto a thin film. To identify the causes of defects that lead to rapid degradation of solar cells, the team will analyze how the chemicals in the perovskite solution contribute to impurities that lead to defects in the film, the impact of those defects on solar cell performance, and how well current methods alleviate those defects. They will use the results to build a perovskite solar cell that demonstrates stability and efficiency over 5,000 hours.

INNOVATION

This group will analyze each stage of the process of growing perovskite crystals and making solar cells with them identify best practices for material use and fabrication techniques. Results of this project could create a road map for eventual commercial use of high-efficiency, high-stability perovskite solar cells.