SBIR Phase I: Perovskite photovoltaics for indoor power supply applications

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是通过需要比电池更大的无线电源的新功能和应用来扩展物联网（IoT）。物联网是一个不断扩大的日常物品阵列，通过互联网相互连接，改变着我们的生活和工作方式。在家庭、企业、车辆、公共场所和其他地方联网的“智能设备”是大数据革命的重要推动力，它带来了无数的社会效益，如提高效率、确保安全、提高生产力。物联网设备的增长得益于通用芯片组的小型化、模块化和成本降低，以及低功耗智能的提高。利用现有有线电源的物联网产品-例如智能灯，电视，扬声器，恒温器，安全摄像头，个人数字助理等-已经主导了市场。然而，独立电池供电的物联网设备越来越受到关注；但是，尽管电池技术不断进步，但电池更换和/或充电的成本、复杂性和停机时间是主要制约因素。该项目旨在开发一种新型的室内光收集技术，能够有效地将室内环境光转换为为无线物联网产品供电所需的电能。拟议的项目旨在展示和开发钙钛矿光伏技术，该技术具有高影响室内物联网应用所需的效率、均匀性和耐用性。在人类生活、工作和聚会的地方，可见光是最普遍的环境电源，但现有的光收集方法——例如晶体和非晶硅光伏电池——不能有效地将典型的室内光转换为电能。例如，最先进的非晶硅电池在典型的室内照明条件下只能提供3.6-7%的效率。为了实现新的物联网产品，需要在一系列室内照明条件下运行效率超过30%的光伏材料，为传感器和通信提供新的电力水平，而电池可能不容易提供这些电力。该项目将展示制造高效钙钛矿光伏所需的电池设计、薄膜沉积和加工技术，并将钙钛矿光伏从大学实验室规模扩展到商业物联网产品规模。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is the enabling the expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) through new functions and applications requiring greater wires-free power than available by battery. IoT is an ever-widening array of everyday objects interconnected via the Internet and transforming the way we live and work. "Smart devices" inter-networking in homes, businesses, vehicles, public spaces and elsewhere are an essential driver of the big data revolution, enabling innumerable societal benefits such as improved efficiencies, assure safety, and increase productivity. The growth of IoT devices has been enabled by the miniaturization, modularization, and cost reduction of common chipsets as well as increased intelligence in low-power consumption. IoT products that utilize existing wired power - e.g. smart lights, TVs, speakers, thermostats, security cameras, personal digital assistants, etc. - have dominated the market. Increasingly, however, stand-alone battery-powered IoT devices are gaining traction; but while battery technology is improving, the cost, complexity and downtime of battery replacement and/or recharging are major constraints. This project aims to develop a new type of indoor light harvesting technology capable of efficiently converting ambient indoor light into the electrical energy needed to power wire-free IoT products. The proposed project aims to demonstrate and develop perovskite PV technology with the efficiency, uniformity, and durability needed for high-impact indoor IoT applications. Visible light is the most ubiquitous ambient power source available in places where humans live, work and gather, but existing light harvesting methods - e.g. crystalline and amorphous silicon PV cells - do not efficiently convert typical indoor light to electricity. For example, state-of-the-art amorphous silicon cells give only 3.6-7% efficiency under typical indoor lighting conditions. In order to enable new IoT products, a photovoltaic material that operates above 30% efficiency under a range of indoor lighting conditions is needed to unlock new levels of power available for sensors and communications that batteries may not easily supply. This project will demonstrate cell designs, film deposition and processing techniques needed to fabricate high-efficiency perovskite PV and to scale perovskite PV from university laboratory sizes to commercial IoT product sizes.