New production method should bring perovskite solar panels closer

A group of scientists has developed a production method for solar panels made from perovskite. The method, which works at room temperature, should bring mass production of such panels closer.

The research has been published in the journal Journal of Materials Chemistry and an abstract can be found on the website of Brown University, where the method was developed. The researchers describe their method as a bath of ‘solvents’ in which a substrate can be immersed, after which perovskite crystals are then formed.

What makes the method interesting is that the ‘production bath’ can be used at room temperature. Conventional production methods require heat to remove the solvent again, according to the scientists at Brown University. In fact, the new method uses a second liquid to remove the solvent.

Experiments show that their new production method works well to produce layers of perovskite, with greater control over the final thickness of the material over larger surfaces. Small holes that are created in the perovskite surface due to heat during the production process are no longer a problem with the new method. It is also possible to make the perovskite layer thinner than is possible with conventional techniques. All in all, the researchers believe that their method will bring mass production of perovskite solar panels one step closer.

Perovskite, a material that can also be called calcium titanium oxide, is widely used by scientists and companies. Although the energy yield is not yet comparable to conventional silicon-based solar panels, many scientists believe that perovskite has potential, partly because the material is cheap to produce. Much progress has been made in recent years with efficiency values, which means that solar panels based on perovskite are expected to become commercially interesting in the long term.