HZB and University of Jena found Helmholtz Institute for Polymers in Energy Applications

Developing internationally competitive energy materials

22-Jun-2023 - Friedrich Schiller University Jena and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (Helmholtz Centre for Materials and Energy, HZB) are jointly founding the "Helmholtz Institute for Polymers in Energy Applications" (HIPOLE) on 1 July 2023. The aim of HIPOLE is to develop sustainable polymer materials for energy ...

Tandem solar cells with perovskite: nanostructures help in many ways

Customised nanotextures can help to improve perowskite semiconductor materials on diverse levels

02-Nov-2022 - By the end of 2021, teams at HZB had presented perovskite silicon tandem solar cells with an efficiency close to 30 percent. This value was a world record for eight months, a long time for this hotly contested field of research. In the journal Nature Nanotechnology, the scientists describe how ...

Perovskite solar cells: Defects trap charge carriers - and release them again

Results could help to further improve the properties of perovskite solar cells

11-Oct-2021 - A new study has investigated how charge carriers in so called MAPI-perovskite semiconductors interact with different defects. The results shows that a large proportion of defects quickly releases trapped charge carriers. These results could help to further improve the properties of perovskite ...

Lead-free perovskite solar cells

How fluorine additives improve quality

29-Jul-2021 - Tin halide perovskites are currently considered the best alternative to lead-containing analogues, but are still significantly less efficient and stable compared to them. Now, a team led by Prof. Antonio Abate from HZB has analysed the chemical processes in the perovskite precursor solution and ...

Perovskite Solar Cells: Insights into early stages of structure formation

Colloidal chemistry of perovskite precursor solutions investigated

25-Jun-2021 - Using small-angle scattering at the PTB X-ray beamline of BESSY II, an HZB team was able to experimentally investigate the colloidal chemistry of perovskite precursor solutions used for solar cell production. The results contribute to the targeted and systematic optimization of the manufacturing ...

The perfect recipe for efficient perovskite solar cells

23-Feb-2021 - A long-cherished dream of materials researchers is a solar cell that converts sunlight into electrical energy as efficiently as silicon, but that can be easily and inexpensively fabricated from abundant materials. Scientists at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin have now come a step closer to achieving ...

Perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells on the threshold of 30% efficiency

Consistent performance over 300 hours

14-Dec-2020 - An HZB team has published a report in the journal Science on the development of its current world record of 29.15% efficiency for a tandem solar cell made of perovskite and silicon. The tandem cell provided stable performance for 300 hours – even without encapsulation. To accomplish this, the ...

Perovskite Solar Cells: paving the way for rational ink design for industrial-scale manufacturing

01-Dec-2020 - For the production of high-quality metal-halide perovskite thin-films for large area photovoltaic modules often optimized inks are used which contain a mixture of solvents. An HZB team at BESSY II has now analysed the crystallisation processes within such mixtures. A model has also been developed ...

On the road to non-toxic and stable perovskite solar cells

Tin instead of lead

13-May-2020 - The promising halide perovskite materials for solar energy conversion show high efficiencies, but this comes at a cost: The best perovskite materials incorporate toxic lead which poses a hazard to the environment. To replace lead by less toxic elements is not easy since lead-free perovskites show ...

Inorganic perovskite absorbers for use in thin-film solar cells

29-Apr-2019 - A team at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin has succeeded in producing inorganic perovskite thin films at moderate temperatures using co-evaporation – making post-tempering at high temperatures unnecessary. The process makes it much easier to produce thin-film solar cells from this material. In ...