Scientists Have Found A New Way To Make Solar Cells Better

Scientists have discovered that a promising material, called mixed halide perovskite, can recycle light. They believe this discovery can greatly improve the efficiency of solar cells.

Hybrid halide perovskites are a special group of synthetic materials, they have become the subject of scientific research, because they seem to be expected to set off a revolution in the field of solar energy. Perovskite solar cells are cheap and easy to produce, but within a few short years, their energy efficiency is almost as high as the silicon used in most current home solar panels.

By showing that they can also be optimized to recover light, this new study suggests that this may be just the beginning. Solar cells work by absorbing photons from the sun to generate electric charges, but the process is also the opposite, because when the charges recombine, they can generate photons. Studies have shown that perovskite cells have the additional ability to absorb these regenerated photons, a process called “photon recovery.” This creates a concentration effect inside the unit, as if using a lens to focus a lot of light on one point.

According to the researchers, this ability to recover photons can be used relatively easily to create batteries that can break through the limits of solar panel energy efficiency.

This research is based on the established cooperation, focusing not only on the use of these materials in solar cells, but also on the use of light-emitting diodes. It was conducted by Cavendish Professor of Physics and Academician of St. John’s College Richard Friend. Cambridge University. This research was carried out in collaboration with the team of Henry Snaith of Oxford University and Bruno Ehrler of FOM College of AMOLF in Amsterdam.

Felix Deschler is one of the corresponding authors of this study, working with the perovskite research team in Cavendish Lab. He said: “This fully proves the quality of this material and opens the door for maximizing the efficiency of solar cells. The manufacturing method required to take advantage of this phenomenon is not complicated, and the efficiency of the technology should be greatly improved, far more than The level we have been able to achieve so far.”