Research Projects

Recently, a growing research is directed for the development of novel materials based Light Emitting Solar Cells (LESC), which can be used to make single devices that can reversibly transduce energy between light and electricity and therefore will reduce the cost of the system. These LESC devices could be very useful in solar lamps which can be used as solar cells to harvest solar energy in day light and can be used for light emitting applications in the form of LEDs at night. Among various novel energy materials, mixed halide perovskite semiconductors have been emerged as promising candidates for photovoltaic devices and also for light emitting diode (LED) application. Due to the similar architecture of perovskite LED and solar cells and ability to tune bandgaps of perovskite throughout the visible spectrum there is the possibility of the fabrication of “Light emitting solar cells (LESC)” which can reversibly transduce optical energy to electrical energy and vice versa. Here, we propose to develop a quasi-2D lead-bromide perovskite with phenyl ethyl amine based organic cation substitution as spacer group ((PEA)2(MA)4Pb5I16) for the fabrication of the LESC devices and to probe their power conversion efficiency as a solar cell and their external quantum efficiency and electroluminescence as a LED device. Another major objective of the proposal is the band engineering of charge transporting layers making them energetically suitable for both injection and extraction of charge carriers for LESC devices and to probe the effect of addition of different chlorine-based additives for improved device electroluminescence efficiencies. Finally, a prototype solar lamp will be fabricated using this LESC device. The main objective of this proposal is synergistic combination of two different strategies i.e. use of stable quasi 2D perovskites for the fabrication of efficient and relatively stable visible light emitting solar cells and designing of these LESC devices with modified organic molecules-based electron transporting layers through interfacial band engineering for the smooth injection and extraction of charge carriers. Therefore, this proposal is highly interdisciplinary in the emerging research field of LESC devices and solar street light and will lead to successful and tangible research impacts.