SCALING-UP OF DYE SENSITIZED SOLAR MODULES
ABSTRACT
Among all the third generation photovoltaics (PV), dye sensitized solar cell (DSC) technology has been developed up to the commercialization level. The large interest on this hybrid PV technology is mainly related to color and transparency tuning, the possibility to use both rigid and flexible substrates, low embedded energy, superior indoor performance and diffused light operability. Moreover, easy and simple large area manufacture processes, low production CAPEX and moderate environmental costs pushed both scientific and industrial interest on this PV technology. DSC modules can be fabricated by adopting techniques and methods already developed in other industrial sectors, while only a limited partof the entire fabrication process (e.g. electrolyte injection and sealing) has been specifically developed for this PV technology.
In this chapter, we will discuss the design, fabrication and industrial manufacture of DSC modules including a discussion on stability and demonstrative installations. Unlike small area cells, module fabrication presents additional issues related to encapsulation, interconnections, layers uniformity, reverse bias stresses, panel lamination, which need to be handled and optimized to scale the device without penalizing efficiency and stability. In order to perform processes on large area, the transition from laboratory to production line can be achieved by the use of a high degree of automation. This would satisfy the repeatability and sturdiness of the realized devices, a fundamental characteristic for a mass production. Concerning stability, DSC modules need to present a lifetime ranging from 5 years (low-cost electronic applications) to 20 years (power-plant application or building integrated PV applications) to ensure a reliable use of this technology.
Jessica Barichello, Luigi Vesce, Fabio Matteocci, Enrico Lamanna, Aldo Di Carlo
DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2019.03.029
Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells 197 (2019) 76–83
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0927024819301485
THE EFFECT OF WATER IN CARBON-PEROVSKITE SOLAR CELLS WITH OPTIMIZED ALUMINA SPACER
ABSTRACT
Perovskite solar cells with carbon back contact (C-PSC) represent a promising architecture that allows for a simplification of the manufacture process and a stabilization of the cell performances. In this work, we designed a fully printable C-PSC using a homemade mesoporous alumina (Al 2 O 3 ) ink. By increasing the alumina layer thickness we show that fill factor reduces, short-circuit current increases, while open circuit voltage increases until a thickness of 1.2 μm. In order to improve performances of PSCs, we investigated a water pre-treatment before perovskite deposition. We show that water pre-treatment improves pore filling, leads to a reduction of charge recombination, and improves the conversion of PbI 2 crystals into perovskite. The water pre-treatment permits to obtain an average efficiency increasing of 16% with respect to cells without water pre-treatment.
Jessica Barichello, Luigi Vesce, Fabio Matteocci, Enrico Lamanna, Aldo Di Carlo
DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2019.03.029
Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells 197 (2019) 76–83
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0927024819301485
FABRICATION AND MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF HIGH EFFICIENCY BLADE-COATED PEROVSKITE SOLAR MODULES
ABSTRACT
Organo-metal halide perovskite demonstrates a large potential for achieving highly efficient photovoltaic devices. The scaling up process represents one of the major challenges to exploit this technology at the industrial level. Here, the scaling up of perovskite solar modules from 5x5 cm2 to 10x10 cm2 substrate area is reported by blade coating both the CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite and the Spiro-OMeTAD layers. The sequential deposition approach is used in which both lead iodide (PbI2) deposition and the conversion step are optimized by using additives. The PbI2 solution is modified by adding methylammonium iodide (MAI) which improve perovskite crystallinity and pore filling of the mesoporous TiO2 scaffold. Optimization of the conversion step is achieved by adding a small concentration of water into the MAI-based solution, producing large cubic CH3NH3PbI3 grains. The combination of the two modifications lead to a power conversion efficiency of 14.7% on a perovskite solar module with an active area of 47 cm2.
Fabio Matteocci, Luigi Vesce, Felix Utama Kosasih, Luigi Angelo Castriotta, Stefania Cacovich, Alessandro Lorenzo Palma, Giorgio Divitini, Caterina Ducati, Aldo Di Carlo
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b05730
Applied Materials and Interfaces 2019, vol. 11, pp. 25195-25204
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsami.9b05730
QUANTIFYING PERFORMANCE OF PERMEATION BARRIER—ENCAPSULATION SYSTEMS FOR FLEXIBLE AND GLASS‐BASED ELECTRONICS AND THEIR APPLICATION TO PEROVSKITE SOLAR CELLS
ABSTRACT
Effective transparent barrier/encapsulation systems represent a key enabling technology for large‐area electronics. Securing stability to the environment is vital. Here, the effects of architectures, application processes, and water vapor transmission rates (WVTR) of transparent flexible ultra‐high permeation barrier films (UHPBF) applied to substrates with adhesive resins are unraveled for attaining long lifetime, and compared with polyethylene terephthalate and glass barriers. How strongly performance of barrier/adhesive systems depends on barrier orientation, adhesion, manipulation, defects, and storage procedures is quantified via calcium tests. Furthermore, it is found that introducing an additional adhesion‐promoting layer on the standard UHPBF stack reduces WVTRs by a factor of 5 compared to barriers without it. Finally, barriers are used for sealing and encapsulation of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) enabling the extraction of a relationship between WVTRs of barrier/adhesive systems and degradation rates (DR) of PSCs. DR fall exponentially when WVTRs decrease from 101 to 10−3 g m−2 d−1. Outside that range any gains or losses are mitigated by tailing of the sigmoid curve relating the two parameters. Results highlight important factors which will help those developing strategies relating to encapsulation, barrier, adhesive and sealant systems and stable optoelectronic devices on glass and flexible substrates.
Sergio Castro-Hermosa, Michiel Top, Janardan Dagar, John Fahlteich, Thomas M. Brown
https://doi.org/10.1002/aelm.201800978
Advanced Electronic Materials, 14 August 2019
TITANIUM-CARBIDE MXENES FOR WORK FUNCTION AND INTERFACE ENGINEERING IN PEROVSKITE SOLAR CELLS
ABSTRACT
To improve the efficiency of perovskite solar cells, careful device design and tailored interface engineering are needed to enhance optoelectronic properties and the charge extraction process at the selective electrodes. Here, we use two-dimensional transition metal carbides (MXene Ti3C2Tx) with various termination groups (Tx) to tune the work function (WF) of the perovskite absorber and the TiO2 electron transport layer (ETL), and to engineer the perovskite/ETL interface. Ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy measurements and density functional theory calculations show that the addition of Ti3C2Tx to halide perovskite and TiO2 layers permits the tuning of the materials’ WFs without affecting other electronic properties. Moreover, the dipole induced by the Ti3C2Tx at the perovskite/ETL interface can be used to change the band alignment between these layers. The combined action of WF tuning and interface engineering can lead to substantial performance improvements in MXene-modified perovskite solar cells, as shown by the 26% increase of power conversion efficiency and hysteresis reduction with respect to reference cells without MXene.
A. Agresti, A. Pazniak, S. Pescetelli, A. Di Vito, D. Rossi, A. Pecchia, M. Auf der Maur, A. Liedl, R. Larciprete, Denis V. Kuznetsov, D. Saranin, A. Di Carlo
Nature Materials, 09 September 2019
PROSPECTIVE LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF THIRD-GENERATION PHOTOVOLTAICS AT THE PRE-INDUSTRIAL SCALE: A LONG-TERM SCENARIO APPROACH
ABSTRACT
The development of sustainable technologies for energy generation should necessarily undergo sustainability assessment. A well-recognized, valuable tool to accomplish this task is the life cycle assessment. In particular, prospective life cycle assessment can provide the useful methodological framework to calculate eco-profiles of third-generation photovoltaic technologies with a future-oriented perspective. In this paper, we present the life cycle assessment of a real semi-industrial production process of dye-sensitized solar modules performed by the Italian Dyepower consortium. The results demonstrate the well-performing environmental footprint of the device and its pre-industrial fabrication process that, coupled with architectural versatility and remarkable performance in low intensity and diffuse light, make this technology suitable for different niches of the energy market. This analysis also highlights challenges in the fabrication process and identifies the technological improvements, alternative materials and engineering solutions that would further improve the environmental footprint of dye sensitized solar modules.
Maria Laura Parisi, Simone Maranghi, Luigi Vesce, Adalgisa Sinicropi, Aldo Di Carlo, Riccardo Basosi
DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2020.109703
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 121 (2020)
CONSENSUS STATEMENT FOR THE DEFINITION OF THE PROCEDURES TO BE APPLIED TO ASSESSING AND MEASURING THE PEROVSKITE PHOTOVOLTAICS' STABILITY
ABSTRACT
Improving the long-term stability of perovskite solar cells is critical to the deployment of this technology. Despite the great emphasis laid on stability-related investigations, publications lack consistency in experimental procedures and parameters reported. It is therefore challenging to reproduce and compare results and thereby develop a deep understanding of degradation mechanisms. Here, we report a consensus between researchers in the field on procedures for testing perovskite solar cell stability, which are based on the International Summit on Organic Photovoltaic Stability (ISOS) protocols. We propose additional procedures to account for properties specific to PSCs such as ion redistribution under electric fields, reversible degradation and to distinguish ambient-induced degradation from other stress factors. These protocols are not intended as a replacement of the existing qualification standards, but rather they aim to unify the stability assessment and to understand failure modes. Finally, we identify key procedural information which we suggest reporting in publications to improve reproducibility and enable large data set analysis.
Authors:
Mark V. Khenkin, Eugene A. Katz, Antonio Abate, Giorgio Bardizza, Joseph J. Berry, Christoph Brabec, Francesca Brunetti, Vladimir Bulović, Quinn Burlingame, Aldo Di Carlo, Rongrong Cheacharoen, Yi-Bing Cheng, Alexander Colsmann, Stephane Cros, Konrad Domanski, Michał Dusza, Christopher J. Fell, Stephen R. Forrest, Yulia Galagan, Diego Di Girolamo, Michael Grätzel, Anders Hagfeldt, Elizabeth von Hauff, Harald Hoppe, Jeff Kettle, Hans Köbler, Marina S. Leite, Shengzhong (Frank) Liu, Yueh-Lin Loo, Joseph M. Luther, Chang-Qi Ma, Morten Madsen, Matthieu Manceau, Muriel Matheron, Michael McGehee, Rico Meitzner, Mohammad Khaja Nazeeruddin, Ana Flavia Nogueira, Çağla Odabaşı, Anna Osherov, Nam-Gyu Park, Matthew O. Reese, Francesca De Rossi, Michael Saliba, Ulrich S. Schubert, Henry J. Snaith, Samuel D. Stranks, Wolfgang Tress, Pavel A. Troshin, Vida Turkovic, Sjoerd Veenstra, Iris Visoly-Fisher, Aron Walsh, Trystan Watson, Haibing Xie, Ramazan Yıldırım, Shaik Mohammed Zakeeruddin, Kai Zhu & Monica Lira-Cantu
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-019-0529-5
"Nature Energy" (VOL 5 | January 2020)
MECHANICALLY STACKED, TWO-TERMINAL GRAPHENE-BASED PEROVSKITE/SILICON TANDEM SOLAR CELL WITH EFFICIENCY OVER 26%
SUMMARY
Perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells represent an attractive pathway to upgrade the market-leading crystalline silicon technology beyond its theoretical limit. Two-terminal architectures result in reduced plant costs compared to four-terminal ones. However, it is challenging to monolithically process perovskite solar cells directly onto the micrometer-sized texturing on the front surface of record-high efficiency amorphous/crystalline silicon heterojunction cells, which limits both high-temperature and solution processing of the top cells. To tackle these hurdles, we present a mechanically stacked two-terminal perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell, with the sub-cells independently fabricated, optimized, and subsequently coupled by contacting the back electrode of the mesoscopic perovskite top cell with the texturized and metalized front contact of the silicon bottom cell. By minimizing optical losses, as achieved by engineering the hole selective layer/rear contact structure, and using a graphene-doped mesoporous electron selective layer for the perovskite top cell, the champion tandem device demonstrates a 26.3% efficiency (25.9% stabilized) over an active area of 1.43 cm2.
Authors:
Enrico Lamanna, Fabio Matteocci, Emanuele Calabrò, Luca Serenelli, Enrico Salza, Luca Martini, Francesca Menchini, Massimo Izzi, Antonio Agresti, Sara Pescetelli, Sebastiano Bellani, Antonio Esaú Del Río Castillo, Francesco Bonaccorso, Mario Tucci, Aldo Di Carlo
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2020.01.015
International Magazine "Joule", 17 February 2020
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2542435120300453?via%3Dihub
THE MOLECULAR WEIGHT DEPENDENCE OF THERMOELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF POLY (3-HEXYLTHIOPHENE)
ABSTRACT
Organic materials have been found to be promising candidates for low-temperature thermoelectric applications. In particular, poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) has been attracting great interest due to its desirable intrinsic properties, such as excellent solution processability, chemical and thermal stability, and high field-effect mobility. However, its poor electrical conductivity has limited its application as a thermoelectric material. It is therefore important to improve the electrical conductivity of P3HT layers. In this work, we studied how molecular weight (MW) influences the thermoelectric properties of P3HT films. The films were doped with lithium bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl) imide salt (LiTFSI) and 4-tert butylpyridine (TBP). Various P3HT layers with different MWs ranging from 21 to 94 kDa were investigated. UV–Vis spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis were performed to investigate the morphology and structure features of thin films with different MWs. The electrical conductivity initially increased when the MW increased and then decreased at the highest MW, whereas the Seebeck coefficient had a trend of reducing as the MW grew. The maximum thermoelectric power factor (1.87 μW/mK2) was obtained for MW of 77 kDa at 333 K. At this temperature, the electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient of this MW were 65.5 S/m and 169 μV/K, respectively.
Authors:
Saeed Mardi, Marialilia Pea, Andrea Notargiacomo, Narges Yaghoobi Nia, Aldo Di Carlo, Andrea Reale
https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13061404
MDPI Journals - Materials, 13(6), 1404, 19/03/2020
DOPING STRATEGY FOR EFFICIENT AND STABLE TRIPLE CATION HYBRID PEROVSKITE SOLAR CELLS AND MODULE BASED ON POLY(3-HEXYLTHIOPHENE) HOLE TRANSPORT LAYER
ABSTRACT
As the hole transport layer (HTL) for perovskite solar cells (PSCs), poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) has been attracting great interest due to its low‐cost, thermal stability, oxygen impermeability, and strong hydrophobicity. In this work, a new doping strategy is developed for P3HT as the HTL in triple‐cation/double‐halide ((FA1−x−yMAxCsy)Pb(I1−xBrx)3) mesoscopic PSCs. Photovoltaic performance and stability of solar cells show remarkable enhancement using a composition of three dopants Li‐TFSI, TBP, and Co(III)‐TFSI reaching power conversion efficiencies of 19.25% on 0.1 cm2 active area, 16.29% on 1 cm2 active area, and 13.3% on a 43 cm2 active area module without using any additional absorber layer or any interlayer at the PSK/P3HT interface. The results illustrate the positive effect of a cobalt dopant on the band structure of perovskite/P3HT interfaces leading to improved hole extraction and a decrease of trap‐assisted recombination. Non‐encapsulated large area devices show promising air stability through keeping more than 80% of initial efficiency after 1500 h in atmospheric conditions (relative humidity ≈ 60%, r.t.), whereas encapsulated devices show more than >500 h at 85 °C thermal stability (>80%) and 100 h stability against continuous light soaking (>90%). The boosted efficiency and the improved stability make P3HT a good candidate for low‐cost large‐scale PSCs.
Authors:
Narges Yaghoobi Nia, Enrico Lamanna, Mahmoud Zendehdel, Alessandro L. Palma, Francesca Zurlo, Luigi Angelo Castriotta, Aldo Di Carlo
https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.201904399
"Nano-Micro Small", Volume15, Issue 49, December 6, 2019, 1904399
(first publication: 08 October 2019)
SOLUTION-BASED HETEROEPITAXIAL GROWTH OF STABLE MIXED CATION/ANION HYBRID PEROVSKITE THIN FILM UNDER AMBIENT CONDITION VIA A SCALABLE CRYSTAL ENGINEERING APPROACH
ABSTRACT
The performance of perovskite solar cells is under direct control of the perovskite film quality and controlling the crystalinity and orientation of solution-processed perovskite film is a fundamental challenge. In this study, we present a scalable fabrication process for heteroepitaxial growth of mixed-cation hybrid perovskites (FA1-x-yMAxCsy)Pb(I1-xBrx)3 in ambient atmospheric condition by using a Crystal Engineering (CE) approach. Smooth and mesoporous thin film of pure crystalline intermediate phase of PbX2.2DMSO is formed by deposition of supersaturated lead/cesium halides solution. Kinetically fast perovskite nucleation is achieved by rapid intercalation of formamidinium iodide (FAI) and methylammonium bromide (MABr) into the intermediate layer trough solvent assisted SN1 ligand exchange. Finally, heteroepitaxially perovskite growth is accomplished via Volmer−Weber crystal growth mechanism. All the layers are deposited under atmospheric condition (relative humidity (RH) 50–75%) with high reproducibility for various device and module dimensions. In particular, perovskite solar modules (Pmax ~550 mW) are successfully fabricated by blade coating under atmospheric condition. The CE approach remarkably improves the device performance by reaching a power conversion efficiency of 18.4% for small area (0.1 cm2), 16.5% on larger area (1 cm2) devices, and 12.7% and 11.6% for blade-coated modules with an active area of 17 and 50 cm2, respectively. Non-encapsulated triple cation solar cells and modules show promising stability under atmospheric shelf life and light soaking conditions.
Authors:
Narges Yaghoobi Nia, Fabrizio Giordano, Mahmoud Zendehdel, Lucio Cinà, Alessandro Lorenzo Palma, Pier Gianni Medaglia, Shaik Mohammed Zakeeruddin, Michael Grätzel, Aldo Di Carlo
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2019.104441
"Nano Energy", Volume 69, March 2020, 104441
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2211285519311589#!
LOW TEMPERATURE PROCESS OF HOMOGENEOUS AND PIN-HOLE FREE PEROVSKITE LAYERS FOR FULLY COATED PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICES UP TO 256 CM2 AREA AT AMBIENT CONDITION
ABSTRACT
The versatility of printing/coating technologies together with the development of new hybrid and organic materials permit to revolutionize the photovoltaic (PV) research and manufacture. Among the new PV concept, perovskite solar cell technology has ascended top efficiencies in few years. The low-cost perspective of this III-GEN PV is however achievable only at industrial production levels. To this end, we developed a simple yet scalable process for production of monolithic Perovskite solar modules (PSMs). Here we use the doctor blade coating technique assisted by a hot air flow. The basic setup is easy to build and permits to obtain a homogeneous and repeatable deposition of the layers forming the PSM. By applying this fabrication method at ambient condition, we fabricated a low temperature module up to 40 cm2 with a conversion efficiency above 11% and a perovskite layer up to 256 cm2, both based on a pinhole free one-step (without any anti-solvent technique) method, demonstrating the scaling up capability of the optimised process.
Authors:
Luigi Vesce, Maurizio Stefanelli, Aldo Di Carlo
https://doi.org/10.1109/ISAECT47714.2019.9069678
2019 International Symposium on Advanced Electrical and Communication Technologies (ISAECT)
THIAZOLO[5,4-D]THIAZOLE-BASED ORGANIC SENSITIZERS WITH IMPROVED SPECTRAL PROPERTIES FOR APPLICATION IN GREENHOUSE-INTEGRATED DYE-SENSITIZED SOLAR CELLS
ABSTRACT
Organic photosensitizers especially designed for producing semitransparent dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) for greenhouse integration were prepared by introduction of different heterocyclic moieties into the thiazolo[5,4-d]thiazolemolecular scaffold. The aim was that of improving their light absorption capability in the green part of the visible spectrum while maintaining a good transparency in the blue and red regions, where the photosynthetic response is maximized. A short and efficient synthetic approach, featuring two consecutive C-H activation reactions in a one-pot procedure as key steps, was used. Based on their spectroscopic and electrochemical characterization, two of dyes prepared appeared especially suitable for greenhouse-integrated photovoltaics. The corresponding semitransparent DSSCs yielded 5.6-6.1% power conversion efficiencies, which were largely superior to those provided by other organic dyes previously proposed for the same application.
Authors:
Alessio Dessì, Massimo Calamante, Adalgisa Sinicropi, Maria Laura Parisi, Luigi Vesce, Paolo Mariani, Babak Taheri, Manuela Ciocca, Aldo Di Carlo, Lorenzo Zani, Alessandro Mordini, Gianna Reginato
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0SE00124D
Sustainable Energy & Fuels 2020
POLYMER/INORGANIC HOLE TRANSPORT LAYER FOR LOW-TEMPERATURE-PROCESSED PEROVSKITE SOLAR CELLS
ABSTRACT
In the work we introduce a hysteresis-free low-temperature planar PSC, composed of a poly (3-hexylthiophene)(P3HT)/CuSCN bilayer as a hole transport layer (HTL) and a mixed cation perovskite absorber. Proper adjustment of the precursor concentration and thickness of the HTL led to a homogeneous and dense HTL on the perovskite layer. This strategy not only eliminated the hysteresis of the photocurrent, but also permitted power conversion efficiencies exceeding 15.3%. The P3HT/CuSCN bilayer strategy markedly improved the life span and stability of the non-encapsulated PSCs under atmospheric conditions and accelerated thermal stress. The device retained more than 80% of its initial efficiency after 100 h (60% after 500 h) of continuous thermal stress under ambient conditions.
Authors:
Neda Irannejad, Narges Yaghoobi Nia, Siavash Adhami, Enrico Lamanna, Behzad Rezaei, Aldo Di Carlo
https://doi.org/10.3390/en13082059
MDPI Journals Energies Vol. 13 Issue 8
FABRICATION OF HIGH EFFICIENCY, LOW-TEMPERATURE PLANAR PEROVSKITE SOLAR CELLS VIA SCALABLE DOUBLE-STEP CRYSTAL ENGINEERING DEPOSITION METHOD FULLY OUT OF GLOVE BOX
ABSTRACT
In this work the scalable Crystal Engineering approach was successfully applied to fabricate the CH3NH3PbI3 absorbing layer on low-temperature planar SnO2 under atmospheric conditions (fully out of glove-box). Photovoltaic characterization showed high-reproducible hysteresis-free planar perovskite solar cells with a maximum power conversion efficiency of 17.6%. The photophysical properties of the PSCs, evaluated by transient photovoltage and photocurrent analysis, showed the excellent capability of SnO2 to extract charge for perovskite. Non-encapsulated n-i-p planar solar cells indicated promising stability under atmospheric conditions, maintaining 90% of the initial efficiency for more than 1000 h. We demonstrate that the scalable air insensitive crystal engineering method is a promising approach for industrialization and fabrication of high efficiency, air-stable, and low-temperature planar perovskite solar cells with high reproducibility fabrication.
Authors:
Shiva Navazani, Narges Yaghoobi Nia, Mahmoud Zendehdel, Ali Shokuhfar, Aldo Di Carlo
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2020.05.084
Solar Energy Volume 206, August 2020, Pages 181-187
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0038092X20305831
Università degli Studi di Roma
"Tor Vergata"
