New Class of Molecular Iodosalts for Use in Next Generation Solar Cells
- Technology Benefits
- Environmentallyfriendly (lead-free)Stable at roomtemperature and atmospheric conditionsLow costHighefficiency
- Detailed Technology Description
- Newly described, cost-effective iodosalt Cs2SnI6 for use in all-solid-state solar cells#materials #electronic
- *Abstract
-
Intense research effort has been dedicated in recent years to replace fossil fuel and meet the increasing energy needs of modern society. The sun is an essentially inexhaustible source of renewable energy and so has motivated solar cell research in recent years. Photovoltaic research has been growing rapidly in search of developing inexpensive and environmentally friendly energy conversion and storage systems. Historically, conventional solar cells have been expensive due to the complex fabrication procedures and high price of raw materials some of which also contain toxic elements. These obstacles have motivated a burgeoning field of research in solar technologies fabricated from fundamentally low-cost, mainly organic, materials employing inexpensive fabrication methods. Northwestern University researchers have developed a lead-free alternative to materials currently used in photovoltaic cells. In addition, this new material is very stable, which will facilitate processing and lower initial investments in manufacturing. These advances could lead to a sea change in the field of solar devices and enable their large-scale production and commercialization.
- *Inventors
- Mercouri G. Kanatzidis*Robert P.H. Chang*Konstantinos StoumposByunghong Lee
- *Publications
- Lee B, Stoumpos CC, Zhou N, Hao F, Malliakas C, YehC-Y, Marks TJ, Kanatzidis MG, Chang RPH. Air-Stable Molecular SemiconductingIodosalts for Solar Cell Applications: Cs2SnI6 as a HoleConductor (2014). J. Am. Chem. Soc. 136:15379-15385.
- Country/Region
- USA
