Electron injection and defect passivation for high-efficiency mesoporous perovskite solar cells. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38484055/)

These scientists wanted to make solar cells that can convert sunlight into electricity more efficiently. They used a special type of solar cell called a printable mesoscopic perovskite solar cell (p-MPSC). These solar cells don't need an extra layer that traditional solar cells do, but they were not as good at converting sunlight into electricity, only about 19%.

So, the scientists did some experiments to improve these solar cells. They used a material called titanium dioxide, which is a type of semiconductor, along with zirconium dioxide and carbon. They also added a special material called perovskite. This combination allowed the solar cell to collect more electrons from sunlight.

The scientists found a way to separate the electrons and holes (which are like missing electrons) in the solar cell, so they could generate more electricity. They also made some changes to reduce the energy lost in the solar cell. After all these changes, the new solar cells they made were able to convert sunlight into electricity with an efficiency of 22.2%, which is better than before.

They also tested these new solar cells to see how well they worked over time. After 750 hours of testing in hot conditions, the solar cells were still working well and maintaining 97% of their efficiency. This means that these new solar cells are more efficient and can last a long time, which is great for using solar power to generate electricity.

Liu J., Chen X., Chen K., Tian W., Sheng Y., She B., Jiang Y., Zhang D., Liu Y., Qi J., Chen K., Ma Y., Qiu Z., Wang C., Yin Y., Zhao S., Leng J., Jin S., Zhao W., Qin Y., Su Y., Li X., Li X., Zhou Y., Zhou Y., Ling F., Mei A., Han H. Electron injection and defect passivation for high-efficiency mesoporous perovskite solar cells. Science. 2024 Mar 15;383(6688):1198-1204. doi: 10.1126/science.adk9089. Epub 2024 Mar 14.