Physics of degRadation in Organic,nanoCrystal, and hybrid solar cEllS (PROCES)

面对全球能源使用量的上升，我们迫切需要增加清洁和可再生能源发电的比例。有机的、胶态的钙钛矿量子点（QD）和混合的有机-无机钙钛矿是用于“第三代”太阳能电池的非常有前途的可溶液加工的材料候选者。它们独特的材料特性可以导致柔性，重量轻，低成本和高性能的太阳能电池，并使非传统的太阳能电池产品成为可能。虽然通过深入的研究不断提高效率，但这些设备的致命弱点似乎是它们的环境不稳定性。到目前为止，只有有限的研究已经完成，以研究导致基于有机，无机和混合钙钛矿材料的设备中的环境不稳定性的根本原因和机制。因此，在本研究中，我们的目标是：（1）确定有机、无机薄膜和有机-无机杂化薄膜降解的根本原因;（2）了解降解的物理来源，即降解产物的形成;（3）将器械特性的变化与所识别的原因相关联;以及（4）制定策略，以提高材料和设备的稳定性。可以预期，通过这项研究，我们将获得基本的了解，如何材料（有机、无机或混合组分）的不同选择、它们的合成和表面化学性质以及不同的器件结构影响器件退化机制。了解这些方面不仅可以提高有机、量子点和混合太阳能电池的寿命，而且可以为未来第三代光致发光材料的进一步优化提供材料和器件设计指导。这个为期3年的ANR-DFG项目将由来自海德堡大学（德国）和LPEM的两个研究团队紧密合作进行（法国国家科学研究中心/ESPCI-ParisTech/皮埃尔和玛丽居里大学的一个研究单位）。该项目将利用这两个小组的力量和专门知识，进行多学科调查。这种合作方法的结果将提高每个团队的研究能力，超越其目前的水平，并允许一个理想的平台来解决复杂和多领域的挑战，以最大限度地提高有机，无机纳米材料和混合有机-无机材料系统的环境稳定性。

Facing the rising energy usage worldwide, we urgently need to increase the proportion of electricity generated from clean and renewable energy sources. Organic, colloidal nanocrystal quantum dots (QDs), and hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites are highly promising solution-processable material candidates for "third-generation" solar cells. Their unique material characteristics can lead to flexible, light-weight, lowcost and high-performance solar cells and enable non-conventional solar cell products. While theefficiencies are being improved constantly by intensive research, the Achilles heel of these devices seems to be their environmental instability. So far only limited research has been done to study the fundamental causes and mechanisms leading to the environmental instability in devices based on organic, nanocrystal and hybrid perovskite materials. Developing a clear understanding of the physicochemical processes ofdegradation would aid the integration of these devices into industrial applications, guiding both material and device engineering to improve device lifetimes.Therefore, in this "PROCES" project we aim to (1) identify the fundamental causes of degradation of organic, inorganic nanocrystal and hybrid organic-inorganic thin films; (2) understand the physical origin of degradation, i.e. the formation of degradation products; (3) correlate the changes in device characteristics to the causes identified; and (4) develop strategies to improve material and device stability.It can be anticipated that through this study we will gain fundamental understanding of how different choices of materials (organic, nanocrystal, or hybrid components), their synthetic and surface chemistry, and different device architectures, impact on the device degradation mechanisms. Understanding these aspects will not only lead to organic, quantum dot and hybrid solar cells with improved device lifetimes, but also offer material and device design guidelines for further optimization of future third-generation photovoltaics.This 3-year ANR-DFG project will be carried out by a tight collaboration between two research teams from Heidelberg University (Germany) and the LPEM (Laboratoire de Physique et d'Etude des Matériaux, a research unit of CNRS/ESPCI-ParisTech/Université Pierre et Marie Curie). The project will build on the strength and expertise of these two teams to allow for a multidisciplinary investigation. The results of this collaborative approach will boost the research capability of each team surpassing its current level and allowing an ideal platform to tackle the complex and multi-domain challenges to maximize the environmental stability in organic, inorganic nanocrystal and hybrid organic-inorganic material systems.