Perovskite is rapidly outpacing silicon in the solar cell field, but it has one major drawback: durability. A new study aims to eliminate this problem and minimize durability concerns.Solution to the critical problem of perovskite cells
Although traditional silicon-based solar panels dominate the majority of the market due to their popularity from the past, perovskite-based panels quickly close the gap in only about 15 years. These panels, which are ahead in the field of efficiency, are also cheaper and lighter. However, the durability disadvantage of perovskite cells is the biggest obstacle to long-term use, or rather it was.
A research team used a new binder material to protect perovskites. This material, called BondLynx, was originally produced by Canadian materials company XlynX for other purposes before it was tested on solar cells. The problem with perovskites begins when the organic components in the material are activated and released by heat and light, weakening the perovskite and damaging other materials in the solar cell. BondLynx forms chemical covalent bonds with these organic components, preventing them from loosening and reducing efficiency.Almost no loss of efficiency
After the team treated the perovskite solar cells with BondLynx, they ran long-term tests to see how well they performed compared to untreated solar cells. BondLynx-applied solar cells started with an efficiency of 24 percent and retained almost 99 percent of that after 1,000 hours of continuous exposure to simulated sunlight. In contrast, untreated solar cells lost 35 percent of their original efficiency under the same conditions over the same time period.The solar cells were also exposed to a constant temperature of 60°C for 600 hours. Those treated with BondLynx managed to retain almost 98% of their productivity during this time, while the control group lost 27% of their productivity. Although the tests were only carried out for a few months, the fact that the treated cells had almost no loss of efficiency, suggesting that they could last much longer. According to estimates, the lifetime of perovskite panels can be increased up to 30 years thanks to BondLynx.
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