PFI-TT: High-Performance Perovskite Solar Cells Enabled by Layer-Specific Photonic Treatment and Incorporation of a Functional Polymer

这个创新技术转化伙伴关系（PFI-TT）项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是大大推进由钙钛矿特殊材料制成的光伏（太阳能电池材料），并使这些太阳能电池能够在柔性底层结构（称为衬底）上高速印刷。这将使这些柔性太阳能电池的大量生产成为可能，并应用于许多领域。例如，一辆货运卡车的拖车或冷藏货车上覆盖着高效、轻便和灵活的太阳能电池板，可以产生足够的电力，为车上的所有设备供电，大大减少柴油的消耗，并避免在休息站期间空转。另一个潜在的用途是改造遮阳织物，例如用于车库的遮阳织物；这不仅可以有效地阻挡阳光，从而最大限度地减少汽车加热，而且还可以为照明和/或电动汽车充电提供额外的电力。如果与帐篷结合使用，也可用于前沿作战基地或其他偏远军事行动，减少柴油燃料需求和对供应部队的相关风险，以及相关费用。该项目将开发一种技术，以实现高性能全柔性钙钛矿太阳能电池的大规模生产。尽管溶液处理能力在效率和低成本潜力方面取得了快速进展，但钙钛矿太阳能电池在光伏市场上具有经济竞争力之前仍然需要克服一些障碍。特别是，寿命和漫长的退火时间限制了高速印刷的能力。提出的技术创新将通过新的工艺和材料工程来解决这两个主要问题。在这个PFI-TT项目中，光子辐照将用于实现金属氧化物电荷输运层的快速分层退火，而不会损坏底层的柔性衬底和钙钛矿吸收层。高质量的金属氧化膜不仅可以通过为钙钛矿活性层提供物理保护来提高太阳能电池的稳定性，而且还可以保持高效的电荷传输和效率，实现两全其美。此外，在钙钛矿前驱体溶液中加入一种特殊的聚合物，形成超光滑、稳定的钙钛矿薄膜。通过在钙钛矿吸收层中加入特定的树突状分子，可以在柔性衬底上实现效率超过20%的高稳定性钙钛矿太阳能电池。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is to greatly advance photovoltaics (materials for solar cells) made with special materials called perovskites, and enable high-speed printing of these solar cells on flexible underlying structures, known as substrates. This would enable large-volume manufacturing of these flexible solar cells for many applications. For instance, a freight truck trailer or refrigerated van covered by high-efficiency, lightweight and flexible solar panels would generate sufficient electricity to power all units on board, significantly reducing diesel fuel consumption and avoiding idle run during rest stops. Another potential use is retrofitting shading fabrics, such as those used on carports; this would not only effectively block sunlight and thus minimize car heating, but could also supply additional power for lighting and/or charging electric vehicles. This could also be used for forward operating bases or other remote military operations if integrated with tents, reducing diesel fuel demand and the associated risk to the supplying troops, as well as associated costs. The proposed project will develop a technology to enable large-scale manufacturing of high-performance fully-flexible perovskite solar cells. In spite of rapid progress in efficiency and low-cost potential from solution processing capability, perovskite solar cells still have to overcome a few obstacles before becoming economically competitive in the photovoltaic market. In particular, life span and the lengthy annealing time limit the capability for high-speed printing. The proposed technology innovation will address these two main issues through a novel process and material engineering. In this PFI-TT project, photonic irradiation will be utilized to achieve rapid layer-specific annealing for the metal oxide charge transport layers without damaging the underlying flexible substrate and perovskite absorber layer. The high-quality metal oxide films will not only improve solar cell stability by providing physical protection to the perovskite active layer, but also maintain the efficient charge transport and efficiency, achieving the best of both worlds. In addition, a particular polymer will be added into the perovskite precursor solution to form ultra-smooth and stable perovskite films. With the proposed rapid and layer-specific annealing and incorporation of a particular dendrimer in the perovskite absorber layer, highly-stable perovskite solar cells with efficiency above 20% on flexible substrates will be accomplished.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.