Research Projects

To meet the commercial requirement and high throughput manufacturing of thin-film perovskite solar cells, it is important to improve the stability of the photovoltaic devices and the toxicity involved with the lead perovskite has to be replaced. The proposal deals with both the improvement of the stability of perovskite photovoltaic devices as well as on developing lead free perovskites with improved efficiencies. In this proposal we would like to propose integration of lead free perovskite with chromophores or semiconducting polymers to improve the stability and power conversion efficiencies. Such an integration of chromophore or polymer layer can play multiple functions such as (1) broadening the absorption spectrum (2) reducing the defect density by passivation of the defects as well as (3) accelerating the extraction of the charge carriers. The proposed integration provides an efficient and convenient approach to improve the power conversion efficiencies as well as increasing the operational stability of the lead free perovskite solar cells. Controlling the interactions of the substrate, perovskite precursor solution, chromophore/polymer, and processing environment during spin coating and post-growth treatment is critical to the final device efficiencies.