【New Energy Development】Successful independent development of large-area perovskite solar cells

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The large-area perovskite solar cells developed independently by Chen Wei, an associate professor at the Optoelectronics ** Laboratory of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, have been certified by the Photovoltaic Technology Research Center of the Japan Industrial Technology Agency (AIST) to achieve an international maximum efficiency of 15%, filling a gap in the records of solar cell efficiency. This achievement was recently published in Science. AIST is one of the most authoritative solar cell certification bodies in the world. The large-area perovskite solar cell submitted by Chen Wei was successfully certified at that research institute to achieve an international maximum efficiency of 15%. This result was first recorded by Martin Green, the “father of solar cells”, in the authoritative record of solar cell efficiencies that he compiled. Perovskite solar cells are a new type of photovoltaic technology that has emerged in recent years, with their efficiency records improving at an extremely rapid pace. Perovskite materials feature abundant raw materials, low cost, excellent optoelectronic properties, processability via solution methods, and the ability to be synthesized at low temperatures. However, perovskite solar cells generally suffer from stability issues, with many cells deteriorating during testing. Furthermore, perovskite solar cells also suffer from hysteresis. By testing tens of thousands of battery current/voltage output characteristic (IV) curves and comparing several of the most common perovskite solar cell structures, Chen Wei and his team found that the \"P-i-N\" transplanar structure cells are better at eliminating hysteresis. By implementing interface engineering, Chen Wei managed to increase the efficiency of the small-area (0.09 square centimeters) \"P-i-N\" structure batteries to 18.3%, and that of the larger-area 1.02 square centimeter batteries to 16.2%. Moreover, the hysteresis effect in the IV tests was very low for both the small and large batteries. At the same time, the device exhibits the best stability among all types of perovskite solar cells to date. Chen Wei said that by further improving the quality and composition of perovskite thin films, the efficiency record for large-area perovskite solar cells is expected to reach around 20%.