Perovskite solar has been under the spotlight in recent years owing to its simple manufacturing process and the expeditiously surging conversion efficiency, though such technology has yet to enter an extensive commercialization due to the incorporation of heavy metal lead, which is one of the concerns for the environment. Chinese and UK scientists have targeted at this particular issue recently by developing a form of lead-free perovskite solar that can be used indoor and is more eco-friendly.
The research focus of the team lies on the development of next generation solar cell material: lead-free perovskite cell, which is similar to the quintessential lead halide perovskite in structure, and does not contain toxic ingredients. However, the relatively larger energy gap prevents it from exerting substantial efficiency under the sun, and the significant difference in the conversion efficiency impedes it from converting sunlight into electricity with the same efficiency.
In the end things will mend. As pointed out by the new research, the lead-free perovskite can be used for indoor environments instead of outdoor applications, and the joint research team has started researching on perovskite-inspired materials (PIM) demonstratively. Let us take a look at its performance under indoor lighting.
Research stuffs pointed out that despite the mere 1% of conversion efficiency under sunlight, PIM is able to elevate the figure to 4% or even 5% under indoor lighting, for which the low efficiency has reached to the indoor solar standard, and proves that cm-sized PIM can provide electricity to thin film transistors.
Doctor Robert Hoye of Imperial College London, co-author of the thesis, commented, “The cell is able to absorb and convert lighting commonly seen from residences and buildings, and the efficiency has arrived at the commercial standard. We have confirmed on the various routes that require refinement, and it won’t be long before an improvement in performance is seen.”
The research team has placed high hopes on the specific technology, which can be applied on beyond residential phones, speakers, wearable devices, and LED sensors. Vincenzo Pecunia, Professor at Soochow University, added that the eco-friendly perovskite can be deposited on thin and flexible substrates and glass, and used for processing on non-standard substrates such as plastic and textiles, as well as rapidly applied on wearable equipment, healthcare inspection, and non-cell electronics including smart residence and smart city.
(Cover photo source: pixabay)