Perovskite Solar Cells: Stable under Space Conditions

Metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are of interest for high altitude and space applications due to their lightweight and versatile form factor. However, their resilience toward the particle spectrum encountered in space is still of concern. For space cells, the effect of these particles is condensed into an equivalent 1 MeV electron fluence. The effect of high doses of 1 MeV e-beam radiation up to an accumulated fluence to 10^16 e-cm-2 on methylammonium lead iodide perovskite thin films and solar cells is probed. By using substrate and encapsulation materials that are stable under the high energy e-beam radiation, its net effect on the perovskite film and solar cells can be studied. The quartz substrate-based PSCs are stable under the high doses of 1 MeV e-beam irradiation. Time-resolved microwave conductivity analysis on pristine and irradiated films indicates that there is a small reduction in the charge carrier diffusion length upon irradiation. Nevertheless, this diffusion length remains larger than the perovskite film thickness used in the solar cells, even for the highest accumulated fluence of 10^16 e-cm-2. This demonstrates that PSCs are promising candidates for space applications

Electrochemical synthesis of hybrid layered thermoelectric materials based on PEDOT/SnS doped with Ag

Due to the increasing energy demand and public awareness of climate change and environmental problems, sustainable energy development has become one of the most strategic areas of research. In this work, a hybrid layered thermoelectric material is produced, which consists of the combination of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and tin sulfide (SnS). The films are produced by the electrochemical deposition of SnS on the surface of a PEDOT electrode. The thermoelectric properties are optimized by controlling the doping level of SnS by adding Ag. As a consequence, the power factor is remarkably improved up to 58.6 µW m–1 K–2, which is more than two orders of magnitude higher than that of the undoped materials