Solar RRL最新文献

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation is a potential strategy to address freshwater scarcity. However, simultaneously achieving high evaporation performance and effective salt resistance remains a significant challenge. Herein, a triple-layered aerogel-based solar evaporator with low-tortuosity pore structures (Tri-ASEL) is constructed. Benefiting from the unique pore structures of Tri-ASEL, it not only exhibits excellent water transport capacity, which is significantly increased by 237.5% compared to that of the aerogel-based solar evaporator with uniform pore structures, but also effectively reduces the downward heat transfer owing to the low thermal conductivity of the top layer. Meanwhile, compared with the aerogel-based solar evaporator with triple-layered pore structures (Tri-ASE), Tri-ASEL can reduce the resistance of ion diffusion and shorten the diffusion pathways through the low-tortuosity pore structures. Because of the effective coordination of the contradiction among the water transport, ion diffusion, and thermal insulation, Tri-ASEL achieves a high evaporation rate of 2.803 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ and exhibits a remarkable evaporation efficiency of 97.95% under 1 sun. More importantly, it demonstrates excellent salt resistance and can operate stably in ultra-high salinity brine (25 wt%) for more than 8 h without salt crystallization. This study provides a new approach for optimizing the structure design of evaporators.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have attracted much attention in the field of photovoltaics, due to their high power conversion efficiency (PCE) and low cost. In recent years, inverted PSCs have achieved significant advancements in PCE and operational stability. Among the strategies for optimizing PCE and lifespan of inverted PSCs, dimensional engineering plays a critical role and garners increasing attention due to its versatile functions of passivating defects, releasing residual tensile stress, strengthening structural stability, ameliorating carrier transport and extraction, and so on. Considering the importance of dimensional engineering, a comprehensive and deep understanding of 2D perovskites and 2D/3D heterojunction is definitely necessary. In this review, first, the progress of low-dimensional perovskite light-harvesting materials in inverted PSCs is summarized. Subsequently, the advances in constructing 2D/3D perovskite heterojunctions, including 2D/3D bulk heterojunction within perovskite materials, 2D/3D interfacial heterojunction at the interface between perovskite film and carrier transport layer, and bottom-up 2D/3D perovskite heterojunction are discussed. The simultaneous construction of 2D/3D heterojunction at dual interfaces is highlighted. Finally, the legitimate outlook on the further development of dimensional engineering is proposed to advance the commercialization of inverted photovoltaic technology.

Perovskite Solar Cells

In article number 2400216, Feng Hong, Fei Xu, and co-workers report a dual doping strategy with CaCl₂ and InCl₃ additives to improve the phase stability and photoelectric properties of CsPbI₂Br films. Thus, the unencapsulated dual doping perovskite solar cell exhibits high humidity storage and long-term optical stability, remaining 90% of the original power conversion efficiency after aging 2400 hours under ambient air (50% relative humidity) and 1500 hours under continuous illumination, respectively.

Scaling up perovskite solar cells stands as one of the frontiers in advancing this rapidly growing technology. Yet, controlling perovskite thin-film crystallization during and post-printing differs significantly from lab-scale processes that have yielded record device efficiencies. This study investigates antisolvent treatment for slot-die-coated perovskite solar cells using in situ optical spectroscopy and comparing among multiple antisolvents. The antisolvent bath used in slot-die coating affects the perovskite crystallization and film quality differently when comparing to the established spin-coating antisolvent treatment process. A novel dynamic antisolvent method, employing either vortex or laminar flow, is developed. It outperforms steady-bath techniques in generating high-quality, haze-free films. Optimization studies identify critical treatment times. Implementing this novel antisolvent treatment leads to a peak average power conversion efficiency of 15.62% and the highest device efficiency of 18.57%, an excellent performance for slot-die-coated MAPbI₃ devices printed and tested under ambient conditions. The method is validated for an alternative perovskite composition, FA_0.9Cs_0.1PbI₃, and printing technique, blade coating. This research highlights the importance of in situ analysis for enhancing perovskite film quality and introduces scalable approaches for controlling large-area film crystallization kinetics, driven by the demand for efficient and scalable manufacturing processes in the field of perovskite solar cells.

Perovskite solar cells have made significant progress in the past decade, demonstrating promising potential for next-generation solar technology. However, the strain-induced intrinsic instability of mixed-halide perovskites poses a significant obstacle to their widespread commercialization. Relaxation of the perovskite lattice strain is a crucial approach for enhancing photovoltaic performance and broadening their application potential. In this study, the authors conduct an analysis of strain progression in perovskite thin films, examining its impact on the physical properties of perovskites and the performance of perovskite solar cells. Furthermore, they explore its influence on device stability from the perspectives of phase transitions, chemical decomposition, and mechanical fragility. Additionally, they provide a summary of key advancements in strain-relaxation strategies and offer design principles and synthetic approaches to address the issue of lattice strain in perovskites. This paper is intended to lay the groundwork for the theoretical development of effective strain-relaxation methods, moving beyond sole reliance on empirical optimization.

Solar redox flow batteries (SRFB) have attracted increasing interest for simultaneous capture and storage of solar energy by integrating a photoelectrochemical cell with a redox flow battery. Herein, a scalable, nanostructured α-Fe₂O₃ photoanode exhibiting a high photovoltage of 0.68 V in a fully integrated Na₄Fe(CN)₆/AQDS SRFB is demonstrated. Thanks to its optimal band alignment, it uniquely enables stable, unassisted photocharging of the SRFB up to a state-of-charge (SOC) higher than 50%. Concurrently, its improved charge transfer results in a record unbiased photocurrent density of 0.22 mA cm⁻², with a sixfold increase at zero SOC compared to α-Fe₂O₃ film. Through an in-depth optical and photoelectrochemical characterization of different α-Fe₂O₃ morphologies, the impact of nanostructuring on charge transfer is quantified. Most interestingly, an increase in unbiased photocurrent is observed at 10% SOC (0.31 mA cm⁻²) and attributed to adsorption of ferricyanide, which enhances charge transfer. Importantly, it is demonstrated that the superior performance is retained after device scale-up to 5.72 cm². Overall, the demonstrated unassisted device is on par with previously reported dye-sensitized solar cell-assisted hematite-based SRFBs. More broadly, this work contributes to the real-world deployment of cost-effective SRFBs based on Earth-abundant materials.

Despite extensive research on utilizing plasmonic hot carriers to advance photovoltaics and photocatalysts, achieving high hot-carrier flux remains challenging due to their rapid relaxation. Recent studies have shown that combining plasmonic metals with perovskites improves hot-electron flow, due to the slow hot-electron relaxation in perovskites. Additionally, perovskites offer the advantage of facile bandgap tuning through composition changes. Herein, the influence of tuning the perovskite bandgap on the lifetime and flow of hot electrons in a perovskite/plasmonic Au/TiO₂ nanodiode is explored. The findings reveal that perovskites with wider bandgaps exhibit improved hot-electron lifetime and flow, attributed to the modified hot-electron energy favoring a slower energy loss rate, as verified by ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopic analysis. It is believed that the results successfully demonstrate the integration of engineered hot-carrier physics into device functions, providing valuable guidance for the design of optimized hot-carrier-based devices in the future.

The need to increase transparency in existing passivating contacts for crystalline silicon solar cells has motivated the development of transparent contacts based on transition metal oxides (TMOs). Among hole-selective materials, molybdenum oxide (MoO_x) has achieved the greatest success so far. However, despite providing low contact resistivity, MoO_x relies on an intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H(i)) interlayer to achieve high levels of surface passivation and thus high open-circuit voltage at a device level, partially defeating the objective of improved transparency. Herein, we report unprecedented performance for a-Si:H-free MoO_x-based contacts by employing an alternative passivating interlayer based on a well-engineered chlorine-containing Al-alloyed titanium oxide/titanium dioxide (Al_yTiO_x/TiO₂ )stack. The resulting Al_yTiO_x/TiO₂/MoO_x stack achieved record levels of passivation, reaching J₀ values as low as 16 fA cm⁻², closer to values reported for a-Si:H-based contacts, while maintaining lower contact resistivity, well below 100 mΩ cm⁻². Additionally, the stack presents improved transparency compared to a-Si:H-based contacts, with gains in short-circuit current density of at least 0.8 mA cm⁻². The work pushes the performance of hole-selective passivating contacts based on TMOs to new levels, enabling a record efficiency of 22.53% for cells with fully transparent hole-selective passivating contacts. This work serves as an important stepping stone toward low-thermal-budget, simple manufacturing of high-efficiency solar cells.

Epitaxial lift-off (ELO) InGaP/GaAs/InGaAs inverted metamorphic triple-junction solar cells are encapsulated with a micro/nanostructured polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film. The microprism array (MPA) is realized on the PDMS film to redirect the light incident on the metal grid line to the active area. Subwavelength structures (SWSs) are also introduced onto the PDMS film to suppress the Fresnel optical reflection loss. Triangular and hemicylindrical shapes are considered for the MPA. The optical responses of the two MPAs are calculated by using ray-tracing methods. The triangular MPA performs better than the hemicylindrical MPA in terms of light-redirection efficiency. It is confirmed that 82.0% of the light incident on the metal grid can be harvested by the effect of the triangular MPA and the Fresnel optical reflection loss is reduced effectively by the SWSs. These effects contribute to photocurrent enhancement. The short-circuit current density and power conversion efficiency of the flexible ELO triple-junction solar cells integrated with the micro/nanostructured PDMS film improve by 7.0% and 7.1%, respectively, compared with those of the solar cells without the PDMS film. By using the flexible PDMS film for light management, the flexibility of the ELO solar cells is preserved.

The exceptional optoelectronic performance and cost-effectiveness of manufacturing have propelled organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells (PSCs) into the spotlight within the photovoltaic community. Currently, the single-junction PSCs have achieved a certified power conversion efficiency surpassing 26%, edging closer to the illustrious Shockley–Queisser theoretical limit. To further enhance device performance, researchers are currently directing their attention toward the integration of wide-bandgap (WBG) perovskites (Eg > 1.60 eV) as top subcells in conjunction with narrow-bandgap materials, such as perovskite, crystalline silicon, and copper indium gallium selenium, to construct multijunction tandem devices that maximize solar spectral utilization and minimize thermal losses. However, WBG perovskites encounter challenges associated with suboptimal crystal quality, high defect density, and severe phase separation, leading to significant voltage losses and inferior performance. In this regard, extensive research has been conducted, yielding significant findings. This review article summarizes the advancements in composition engineering, additive engineering, and interface engineering of WBG PSCs. Furthermore, the applications of WBG PSCs in various tandem solar cells and their development are discussed. Finally, future prospects for the development of WBG PSCs are outlined.