The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of new solar cells. Lightweight and flexible solar panels are attractive because of high power output, and easy transportation and installation for a given space. Currently, such solar panels on the market offer efficiencies of only 15%. The goal of the proposed technology is to provide a light-weight solar panel with high power output and long lifespan that also may reduce operational cost in electricity or generate excess electricity. This project will explore applications for residential, agricultural, and other users.
This I-Corps project is based on the development of a solution-processed, high-quality transparent electrode for perovskite-based tandem solar cells. In perovskite-based tandem solar cells, transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films are employed to serve as the top contact and/or interconnecting layer between top and bottom sub-cells. To realize low-cost fabrication of perovskite solar panels through roll-to-roll printing in an ambient environment, room-temperature solution-processed ITO is desirable. However, with commonly used hotplate annealing, ITO thin films are subjected to high temperatures for long durations, up to several hours at a time, to attain high-quality film. Since a hotplate heats all stacking layers simultaneously, the flexible substrates and perovskite absorber layer may be damaged because of the limited temperature resistance. The proposed technology uses photonic irradiation to achieve rapid and layer-specific annealing for transparent ITO film without damaging the underlying stacking layers. Unlike hotplate heating in which each layer shares the same temperature via thermal conduction, photonic treatment may selectively supply energy to a specific layer through photon absorption. The capability to achieve high-quality solution-processed ITO enabled by rapid and layer-specific photonic annealing paves the way for large-volume manufacturing of perovskite-based tandem solar cells by high-speed roll-to-roll printing.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
