STTR Phase I: Perovskite Solar Cells with Tin Oxide Electron Transport Layers for Optimized Performance and Lifetime

这个小企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力将被视为可再生能源景观的加强，在我们的能源来源的多样化，并最终在减少化石燃料？随着我们的社会朝着能源供应和分配系统的清洁电气化方向发展，我们的能源供应和分配系统对人类健康和环境的影响也越来越大。由于其原材料的低成本，固有的可扩展性和效率的快速发展，钙钛矿太阳能电池是验证薄膜光伏作为一种安全，商业上可行和经济上可持续的能源的理想候选人。这种快速发展的技术与现有的硅光致发光器件兼容，可以与它们结合以提高效率，或者可以用作独立器件，最终达到或超过硅的性能，同时实现本质上廉价和可扩展的制造工艺。初步研究预测，在摊销初始资本投资后，模块的估计生产成本低于0.28美元/W，这意味着生产成本比目前的光伏技术低约30%。拟议的项目将为影响钙钛矿光伏材料寿命性能的关键降解机制提供解决方案。降解是由光吸收钙钛矿层和电子传输层（通常为TiO 2）之间的界面处的电荷捕获引起的，这导致钙钛矿结构通过一系列化学反应而分解。在该项目中，TiO 2将被SnO 2（本征或掺杂）取代，SnO 2具有与新的高效钙钛矿组合物非常紧密匹配的电子能带结构。此外，SnO 2比TiO 2便宜得多，更容易以高质量（即低密度的电子缺陷）存款，并且在湿气和氧气存在下比TiO 2更环保。SnO 2也不会光催化钙钛矿层的降解途径，这是最近认为发生与TiO 2。使用SnO 2作为电子传输层的初步实验室工作产生的效率与使用TiO 2制造的电池相当（约18%），但更重要的是，测试显示在运行500小时后几乎没有降解。我们的目标是进一步提高钙钛矿电池的性能（效率和稳定性），同时开发一种稳健、廉价的SnO 2沉积工艺。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project will be seen in the strengthening of the renewable energy landscape, in the diversification of our energy sources, and ultimately in the reduction of fossil fuel?s impact on human health and the environment as our society moves toward clean electrification of our energy supply and distribution systems. Due to the low cost of its raw materials, intrinsic scalability and rapid evolution of efficiencies, perovskite solar cells are the ideal candidates to validate thin film photovoltaics as a safe, commercially viable and economically sustainable source of energy. This rapidly emerging technology is compatible with existing silicon photovoltaics and can be combined with them to enhance their efficiencies, or can be used as stand-alone devices that can ultimate meet or exceed the performance of silicon while enabling an intrinsically inexpensive and scalable manufacturing process. Initial studies predict an estimated cost of production of modules lower than $0.28/W after amortization of initial capital investment, which translates into a cost of production ~30% lower than that of current photovoltaic technologies.The proposed project will provide a solution to a key degradation mechanism that affects the lifetime performance of perovskite photovoltaics. Degradation is caused by trapping of charges at the interface between the light absorbing perovskite layer and the electron transport layer, typically TiO2, which leads to the breakdown of the perovskite structure through a sequence of chemical reactions. In this project TiO2 will be replaced by SnO2 (either intrinsic or doped) which has an electronic band structure that matches very closely with new high efficiency perovskite compositions. Additionally, SnO2 is considerable less expensive than TiO2, easier to deposit with high quality, i.e. low density of electronic defects, and it is more environmentally robust in the presence of moisture and oxygen than TiO2. SnO2 also does not photocatalyze degradation pathways of the perovskite layer, which is recently thought to be occurring with TiO2. Preliminary laboratory work using SnO2 as an electron transport layer yielded efficiencies comparable to cells manufactured using TiO2 (~18%), but more importantly, tests showed virtually no degradation after 500 hours of operation. Our goal is to further improve the properties of the perovskite cells (efficiency and stability) while developing a robust, inexpensive deposition process for SnO2.