NSERC-DFG SUSTAIN Integrated development of sustainable solvent strategies for perovskite solar cells

在过去的十年中，永久性太阳能电池（PSC）作为一种令人兴奋的低成本可再生能源技术出现，它们将阳光转化为电能的效率现在与硅太阳能电池相当。然而，PSC加工中所涉及的溶剂对健康和环境的影响仍然是商业化和大规模生产的障碍。这些溶剂（其中一些非常危险）可能会释放到大气中，造成环境和健康影响，通过焚烧进行浓缩以回收能源，这会产生碳排放，或者蒸馏以回收溶剂，这需要额外的基础设施和能源投入。该项目将通过绿色溶剂和无溶剂方法关注PSC的可持续化学和工程。值得注意的是，该项目将采取综合的多学科方法，考虑PSC的所有关键组件;光吸收钙钛矿层，电荷传输层和性能增强添加剂。一种新的原位传输特性的技术将被用来提供基本的洞察PSC层的形成与绿色溶剂。生产过程将进行研究和优化，以尽量减少有害溶剂和废气，加拿大和德国团队将研究和优化PSC的性能，以实现可持续的PSC生产。

Perovskite solar cells (PSC) have emerged in the past decade as an exciting, low-cost, renewable-energy technology, and the efficiency with which they convert sunlight to electricity is now on par with silicon solar cells. However, the health and environmental impacts of the solvents involved in PSC processing remain a barrier for commercialization and large-scale production. The solvents, some of which are very hazardous, may be released into the atmosphere causing environmental and health impacts, condensed for energy recovery via incineration, which produces carbon emissions, or distilled for solvent recovery, which requires additional infrastructure and energy input. This project will focus on sustainable chemistry and engineering of PSCs via green-solvent and solvent-free approaches. Notably, this project will take an integrated, multidisciplinary approach that considers all key components of a PSC; the light-absorbing perovskite layer, charge-transport layers, and performance-enhancing additives. A novel insitu-transmission characterization technique will be used to provide fundamental insight into the formation of the PSC layers with green solvents. The manufacturing processes will be studied and optimized to minimize harmful solvents and exhaust, and the performance of the PSCs will be studied and collaboratively optimized by the Canadian and German teams to achieve sustainable PSC manufacturing.