Perovskite solar cells based on niobium oxide films

• Grant number: 14/23336-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: March 01, 2015
• End date: July 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Maria Aparecida Zaghete Bertochi
• Grantee: Silvia Leticia Fernandes
• Supervisor: Frank A. Nüesch
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Dubendorf, Switzerland
• Associated to the scholarship: 12/07745-9 - Development of hybrid solar cells based on ZnO and Nb2O5 nanostructured films, BP.DR

Abstract

The conversion of sunlight into electricity is a clean technology, with an abundant and renewable source. The efficiency of conventional solar cells from inorganic material, like silicon, reached 24%, but it still requires the use of highly pure materials that are expensive. New technologies for low cost solar devices that can be produced in commercial scale are needed. A wide variety of methodologies for the conversion of solar energy is currently being developed, including dye sensitized and hybrid all-solid solar cells. A significant improvement of such devices was observed over the last 10 years, , where the efficiency of solar cells reached up to n=14%. However, a recent discovery revolutionized the field of photovoltaic devices. It was shown that devices consisting of organolead trihalide compounds with perovskite structures are able to efficiently convert solar energy into electricity. In approximately two years of research, after the discovery of the ability of these materials, the efficiency of these cells came to 17.9% (4) (certified) with expectancy of efficiency up to 20%. Moreover, it is a system that is promising for application on a commercial scale because of the easy processing and low cost materials. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

FERNANDES, SILVIA L.; VERON, ANNA C.; NETO, NILTON F. A.; NUESCH, FRANK A.; DIAS DA SILVA, JOSE H.; ZAGHETE, MARIA A.; GRAEFF, CARLOS F. DE O.. Nb2O5 hole blocking layer for hysteresis-free perovskite solar cells. Materials Letters, v. 181, p. 103-107, OCT 15 2016. (14/23336-7, 12/07745-9, 13/07296-2)