Development of novel graphene based inks to replace toxic and scarce materials used in thin film photovoltaics

随着全球各地实施封锁，全球大流行导致能源需求大幅下降。在英国，由于封锁措施导致需求减少，电价较低，运营燃煤电厂越来越无利可图，导致自19世纪以来首次没有煤炭发电。幸运的是，在此期间，英国能够利用可再生能源发电。然而，在较贫穷的国家，2019冠状病毒病大流行凸显了在获得现代、负担得起和可持续能源方面的严重不平等。获得可靠的能源是生命线，特别是在2019冠状病毒病危机的背景下。这不仅对于预防和应对大流行病至关重要，而且对于通过为所有人确保一个更可持续和更具复原力的未来来加速复苏和更好地重建至关重要。该项目通过开发一项关键的使能技术来加速新兴太阳能电池，特别是第二代和第三代薄膜光伏（TFPV）的发展，解决了生产负担得起的低碳能源的需求，保证了供应的安全性。与目前最先进的（SOTA）第一代硅片光伏（SPV）相比，它们在降低制造过程中的成本和碳排放方面具有最大的潜力。然而，挑战在于大幅度提高(1)效率和(2)与特殊目的载体竞争的TFPV的稳定性，以及(3)取代在TFPV制造中使用的有毒和稀缺的地球金属，这些金属阻碍了它们对供应安全的贡献。该项目将通过开发一种新型碳纳米结构来解决这一挑战，该结构具有吸收更广泛光谱的潜力，并通过将金属TFPV的效率提高到30%以上来展示最新技术的改进。这是为了克服制造更高效率的薄膜光伏（TFPV）的挑战，具有更高的稳定性和更长的产品寿命，并通过使用可再生和丰富的材料来竞争第一代硅片光伏（SPV）。TFPV比SPV使用更有效的制造工艺，但目前最先进的TFPV使用不可持续的材料（有毒或稀缺），稳定性较差。该项目将寻求替代TFPV中使用的有毒或稀缺材料，以提供有机、节能、可打印的太阳能墨水，这些墨水可用于TFPV的活性层，为我们的能源需求提供灵活和可扩展的解决方案，使电力系统在面临危机时更具弹性，并为开发真正的分布式能源系统提供机会，在用电量的地方或附近产生和储存电力。这将极大地提高可再生能源的市场渗透率，因为该技术能够整合到多个市场的一系列表面上。该项目是一项更广泛计划的第一部分，该计划旨在提供一种新型半导体墨水，该墨水使用碳纳米结构来最大限度地将光转化为电能。TFPV原型阶段将在CPI的石墨烯、配方和可打印电子中心开发，以提供柔性、轻质太阳能电池的阶跃变化性能。这保证了低成本生产和快速规模化生产。

The global pandemic saw energy demands fall dramatically as lockdowns were enforced across the world. In the UK, low power prices amid decreased demand due to lockdown measures, made it increasingly unprofitable to run coal plants resulting in no electricity being generated from coal for the first time since the 1800s. Fortunately, during this time Britain was able to generate its power from renewable energy sources. However, in poorer countries, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the deep inequalities in terms of access to modern, affordable and sustainable energy. Access to reliable energy is a lifeline, especially in the context of the COVID-19 crisis. It is essential not only for preventing and addressing the pandemic but also for accelerating the recovery and building back better by securing a more sustainable and resilient future for all.This project addresses the need of generating affordable, low carbon energy that guarantees security of supply by developing a key enabling technology to accelerate emerging solar cells, specifically 2nd and 3rd generation thin film photovoltaics (TFPV). These have the greatest potential to reduce cost and carbon emissions from the manufacturing process beyond the current State-of-the-Art (SOTA) first generation silicon-wafer photovoltaics (SPV). The challenge, however, is to vastly improve (1) the efficiency and (2) the stability of TFPV to compete with SPV and (3) replace toxic and scarce earth metals used in the manufacture of TFPV which prevent their contribution to security of supply.This project will address the challenge by developing a novel carbon nano-structure which has the potential to absorb a broader spectrum of light, to demonstrate an improvement on the state-of-the-art by increasing the efficiency of metallic TFPV beyond 30%. This is intended to overcome the challenge of manufacturing higher efficiency thin film photovoltaics (TFPV), with a higher stability for a longer product life and by using renewable and abundant materials to out-compete 1st generation silicon wafer photovoltaics (SPV). TFPV uses more efficient manufacturing processes than SPV however current State-of-the-art TFPV use unsustainable materials (toxic or scarce) and have poorer stability.This project will look to replace toxic or scarce materials used in TFPV to deliver organic, energy-efficient, printable solar inks that can be used in the active layer of TFPV, providing for flexible and scalable solutions to our energy needs, making the power system more resilient in the face of crisis and presenting the opportunity to develop a truly distributive energy system to generate and store power at or near where it will be used. This will vastly improve on the market penetration of renewable energy, due to the ability to integrate the technology onto an array of surfaces across multiple markets.This project is the first part of a wider programme to deliver a novel semi-conducting ink that uses the carbon nano-structures to maximise conversion of light to power. The TFPV prototype stages will be developed at CPI's Graphene, Formulation and Printable Electronics Centres to deliver a step change performance in flexible, lightweight solar cells. This promises low cost manufacturing with rapid scale-up.