Amazing material enables photovoltaic performance to improve

　　The researchers report that integrating a 2D material into a  perovskite-based solar cell has successfully improved the efficiency of the  cell, which is comparable to that of silicon-based cells.

　　A team of researchers from Imperial College London and University College  London investigated phosphorene nanoribbons (PNRs), a 2D phosphorous-containing  stripline material. Similar to graphite, PNRs are composed of single-atom-thick  atomic layers and exhibit high electrical conductivity.

　　The researchers first produced these materials in 2019, and theoretical  experiments since then have shown that they could enhance numerous electronic  devices, including batteries, biomedical sensors and quantum computers. Now that  the Imperial College and University College London research team has carried out  experiments on an actual prototype solar panel, the experiments have confirmed  that phosphorene nanoribbons do have the potential to improve cell efficiency,  the researchers said.

　　Thomas Macdonald, Professor and Research Fellow at Imperial's Department of  Chemistry and Centre for Processable Electronics, said: "Theoretical studies  have foreseen the excellent properties of PNRs, but there have been no reports  publicly demonstrating these properties, which we can actually translate into  better devices. performance."

　　Thomas Macdonald said the research team has shown evidence that PNRs can  serve as a pathway to high-performance solar cells, while validating the  versatility of this nanomaterial in next-generation optoelectronic devices.

　　The researchers made solar cells from perovskites, a crystal-structured  composite material that has long been seen as the next-generation material to  complement or replace silicon in solar cells. In fact, perovskites have several  advantages over silicon, including higher performance and lower production  costs.

　　The reason for the lower cost is that perovskites can be inkjet-printed in  liquids to form flexible films. The researchers printed PNRs on the film as an  additional layer to improve device functionality and efficiency.

　　Published in the journal American Chemical Society, the researchers found  that the newly developed cells outperformed conventional silicon solar cells by  more than 21 percent. It is close to the highest efficiency (about 25%) of  perovskite-based cells demonstrated in the laboratory.

　　The researchers also found out why PNRs could improve efficiency through  experiments that demonstrated a phenomenon called "hole mobility" in the  material. Holes are the opposite product of electrons in electrical transport,  so increasing their mobility (a measure of how fast they move through a  material) helps current move more efficiently between the layers of a  device.

　　The researchers added a layer of phosphorene nanoribbons to a perovskite  solar cell layer to effectively improve cell performance. Through these  experiments, it is possible to verify how PNRs can improve solar cells, and the  researchers say they will continue to create new design rules for optoelectronic  devices or devices that emit or detect light.

　　Macdonald said, "Our results show that the properties of PNRs will optimize  application performance, highlighting the real importance and utility of newly  discovered nanomaterials that will benefit PNRs for setting benchmarks in  optoelectronic devices."

　　The research team plans to continue the study of PNRs and how PNRs work in  electronic devices to find out more ways in which performance can be improved.  They also plan to investigate how to alter the nanoribbon's surface to enhance  the material's unique electronic properties.

　　SES Power is curious about the results of this material, because advances  in electronic technology are often based on advances in materials. As a  manufacturer with nearly 20 years of experience in customizing lithium  batteries, we have a very deep understanding of this. For example, the rise of  nickel-metal hydride materials has led to the rise of consumer electronic  products, and the research of lithium battery materials has led to electronic  products. The function is advancing rapidly, especially the lithium iron  phosphate battery, which can perfectly replace the lead-acid battery, has  penetrated into every corner of our life, such as UPS, data center, photovoltaic  power generation, energy storage power station and so on. The development of  lithium batteries is based on the development of materials. SES Power's lithium  iron phosphate batteries that can work normally at -40 degrees Celsius (limit  -60 degrees Celsius) are the latest achievements in material development, not to  mention the 12V100ah and 12V200Ah replacements for lead-acid batteries. , 3KW  inverter for home energy storage (lithium battery is 48V100Ah).