Boosting perovskite PV for indoor use
Chemists at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) in Lithuania have synthesised materials that can improve perovskite PV elements for indoor use, to generate electricity even in low-light conditions.
The paper 'Enhancement of Efficiency of Perovskite Solar Cells with Hole-Selective Layers of Rationally Designed Thiazolo[5,4-d]thiazole Derivatives' appeared in May 2024 in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
“Wind and hydro energy are constrained by high costs and location dependency, while solar energy is flexible, efficient and relatively inexpensive. However, the energy from indoor light sources and natural light entering through windows is lost every day,” says Juozas Vidas Gražulevičius, professor at the KTU faculty of chemical technology and head of the chemistry of materials research group.
According to Gražulevičius, this can be solved by indoor photovoltaics, which generate electricity even in low-intensity light conditions.
“Perovskite photovoltaic cells for indoor use can be integrated into mobile phones, pocket flashlights and other electronic devices; they can generate electricity under artificial light. Using Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, this electricity can be used to efficiently regulate the operation of devices and optimise energy consumption,” says Asta Dabulienė (pictured above), senior researcher at the chemistry of materials research group, KTU.
Dabulienė has synthesised a series of new efficient hole-transporting thiazol[5,4-d]thiazole derivatives for indoor perovskite photovoltaic cells. The main function of their layers is to selectively transport holes while blocking electrons. This selective charge transport helps in reducing recombination losses, thereby improving the overall efficiency of the solar cell.
“An ideal hole transporting semiconductor for these applications would possess high hole mobility and good energy level alignment with those of adjacent layers,” explains Dabulienė.
A thiazol[5,4-d]thiazole derivative containing a triphenylamine donor fragment, synthesised by KTU researcher Dabulienė, has been used by the research team at Ming Chi University of Technology (Taiwan) to develop perovskite solar cells for indoor.
The KTU-developed organic semiconductor allowed it to reach a power conversion efficiency of 37.0 percent under 3000 K LED (1000 lx) illumination. The studies have shown the great potential of thiazol[5,4-d]thiazole derivatives for increasing the efficiency of perovskite solar cells.
The proposed innovation for indoor solar cells is the result of the work of an international team of scientists. Researchers from the KTU Chemistry of Materials research group have developed and synthesised organic semiconductors that efficiently transport positive charges and studied their properties. The theoretical studies of the new compounds were carried out by scientists from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Saudi Arabia). Researchers at Ming Chi University of Technology in Taiwan constructed and characterised perovskite solar cells for indoor use.
