Researchers atOak Ridge National Laboratory(ORNL) are taking a closer look at metal halide perovskites, which when combined with 3D printing, can enable a new breed of high-performance solar batteries.
Metal halide perovskite materials have gained traction over the past decade due to their ability to convert solar light into electrical energy: a process known as photovoltaic conversion.
与之前的许多人不同，新研究利用ORNL的高级设备Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences(CNMS) to investigate the structure of metal halide perovskites. Crucially, the research also dives into how this structure interacts with phenomena such as ions in motion to actually generate electrical energy from light.
该团队认为，其工作可以使更高效，更强大的太阳能电池电池和其他光伏设备（包括3D印刷机）的设计设计。
“These materials have mostly been studied under static conditions,” explains Yongtao Liu, lead author of the study. “We studied the materials in real-time so we could understand such variables as how the ions are moving. You can’t get a complete picture otherwise. Our findings suggest these ion migration patterns are key to efficiency in converting solar energy to power and the stability of the solar cells.”
金属卤化物钙钛矿
金属卤化物钙钛矿是一类晶体金属，以其利用轻能和产生电能的能力而闻名。随着对可再生能源的需求一如既往地增加，钙钛矿自然成为太阳能细胞研究领域的热门话题。
但金属卤化物钙钛矿独特之处到底在哪里呢?交流cording to Olga Ovchinnikova, a co-author of the study, standard multicrystalline silicon-based solar cells have only ever reached a peak conversion efficiency of about 23% in the past 40 years. On the other hand, metal halide perovskites have already displayed higher conversion efficiencies in the past ten years alone.
As well as capturing light more efficiently, metal halide perovskites are more lightweight, flexible, and cost-efficient than silicon. As such, they can easily be manufactured into thin films that can be pasted onto virtually any surface.
Ovchinnikova also believes perovskites can go hand-in-hand with 3D printing to create a limitless number of functional solar-powered devices. She said, “We can use 3D printing to create wearables, put them on top of cars, and really democratize the use of perovskite solar cells. You could put them anywhere.”
致力于持久的钙壶
One of the main factors holding perovskites back is their poor durability when compared to silicon – they perform well but degrade and lose their efficiency over time. To make perovskites last longer, the ORNL team affirms that it’s important to understand the properties that enable their extraordinary performance in the first place.
为了进行这样的开创性和全面的研究，该团队必须开发一系列新方法，以表征从化学特性到材料物理特性的所有内容。质谱仪和扫描探针显微镜之类的设备还不够，因此研究人员探讨了ORNL CNM的功能。
“A mass spectrometer doesn’t show us how the ions move,” explains Ovchinnikova. “So we used a novel instrument that combines a mass spectrometer and scanning probe microscope in one system. We also developed an approach on this system that enabled us to see the ions move while the material interacts with light in real time and incorporated new methods of machine learning to process the acquired data and simulate these behaviors.”
Having discovered that perovskite behaviors are actually determined by complex collections of properties acting together, the team has now filed patents for the methods they designed. Future work will involve using the techniques to develop more durable perovskites for solar cells, as well as using them on other classes of materials to understand their properties too.
“Now that we better understand some of the fundamental physics, we’re looking at how to engineer and improve the materials to enhance their photovoltaic effects,” Ovchinnikova said. “We can think about the next level.”
Further details of the study can be found in the paper titled ‘铁卤化物钙钛矿光电子学’.
ORNL在美国能源部下运营，是各种技术进步的所在地，包括与添加剂制造有关的技术。雷电竞充值就在最近，Ornl研究人员宣布开发一部小说water-soluble plastic binder that can be added to 3D printing materials并以“出色的力量”为例。通过调整高胺含量，低分子量聚乙胺（PEI），ORNL团队能够以与常规粘合剂相比将其强度增加一倍的方式来量身定制其性能。
ORNL also recently patented a novel cable-driven construction process that can be used to 3D print entire buildings via a suspension system. NamedSky Big Area Additive Manufacturing, or ‘SkyBAAM’ for short, the technology is designed to be operated using cords attached to cable winders, that provide users with full spatial control over the movements of the nozzle.The patent has since been disputedby two of the industry’s leading open-source 3D printing advocates – Drs. Adrian Bowyer and Joshua Pearce.
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Featured image shows an illustration of lattice distortion, strain, and ion distribution in metal halide perovskites. Image via ORNL.
