Biomineral-inspired mechanically tough perovskite solar cells with enhanced stability

受生物矿物启发，机械坚韧的钙钛矿太阳能电池具有增强的稳定性

• 批准号: EP/X012263/1
• 负责人: Brian Saunders
• 金额: $ 61.29万
• 依托单位: University of Manchester
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FX012263%2F1
• 关键词: Biomineral; inspired; mechanically; tough; perovskite

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are solution processable, have high efficiencies and promise low cost renewable electricity. Unfortunately, the widespread application of PSCs is being held back by their poor long-term stability. Their established rivals, crystalline-silicon solar cells, offer a 25 year operational lifetime. However, high efficiency PSCs are operationally stable for less than 6 months. Perovskites have very low mechanical toughness due to the intrinsically low energy required to separate perovskite crystals. Solar cell operation lifetime increases with mechanical toughness and we aim to exploit this relationship to greatly enhance the stability of high efficiency PSCs. Taking inspiration from highly tough natural biomaterials (such as nacre) we will use synthetic analogues of adhesive proteins to glue the crystals together and increase perovskite mechanical toughness. Our new particles are ultra-deformable nanometre-sized gel particles (termed ultra-low crosslinked nanogels, ULC nanogels). Building on our earlier work where conventional nanogels improved lead-PSC stability, novel ULC nanogels will be prepared that conformally coat and interlink perovskite crystals. They will flatten to become ultra-thin and allow charges to move unhindered between crystals. We will also study lead-free, tin-perovskites and increase their operational stability by a combination of improvements in chemical stability and mechanical toughness. The link between the mechanical toughness and PSC stability will be investigated experimentally and using state-of-the-art modelling techniques. Modelling will also be used to study the energy changes involved in chemical degradation so as to establish materials design rules for PSCs with enhanced stability. A successful outcome to this project would provide improved fundamental understanding of the interplay between perovskite mechanical toughness and stability as well as a high efficiency demonstrator(s) with a projected operation lifetime of 8 years. Such a result would bring the large-scale deployment of perovskite photovoltaics for CO2-free electricity generation closer and increase energy security.

永久性太阳能电池（PSC）是溶液可加工的，具有高效率，并承诺低成本的可再生电力。不幸的是，PSC的广泛应用受到其长期稳定性差的阻碍。他们的竞争对手，晶体硅太阳能电池，提供了25年的使用寿命。然而，高效PSC的运行稳定时间不到6个月。由于分离钙钛矿晶体所需的固有低能量，钙钛矿具有非常低的机械韧性。太阳能电池的工作寿命随着机械韧性的增加而增加，我们的目标是利用这种关系来大大提高高效PSC的稳定性。从高坚韧天然生物材料（例如珍珠母）中汲取灵感，我们将使用粘合蛋白的合成类似物将晶体粘合在一起并增加钙钛矿的机械韧性。我们的新颗粒是超可变形的纳米级凝胶颗粒（称为超低交联纳米凝胶，ULC纳米凝胶）。在我们早期工作的基础上，传统的纳米凝胶提高了铅-PSC的稳定性，将制备新型ULC纳米凝胶，其共形地涂覆并连接钙钛矿晶体。它们会变平，变得超薄，并允许电荷在晶体之间不受阻碍地移动。我们还将研究无铅锡钙钛矿，并通过改善化学稳定性和机械韧性来提高其工作稳定性。机械韧性和PSC稳定性之间的联系将通过实验和使用最先进的建模技术进行研究。模型还将用于研究化学降解过程中涉及的能量变化，以便为具有增强稳定性的PSC建立材料设计规则。该项目的成功结果将提高对钙钛矿机械韧性和稳定性之间相互作用的基本理解，以及预计运行寿命为8年的高效演示器。这样的结果将使大规模部署钙钛矿光催化剂用于无二氧化碳发电更接近，并提高能源安全性。