Scientists from the City University of Hong Kong invents a highly efficient perovskite solar cell with enhanced stability and minimised lead leakage

While the power conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells (PVSCs) – a future of solar cells – has already greatly improved in the past decade, the problems of instability and potential environmental impact are yet to be overcome. Recently, scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) have developed a novel method which can simultaneously tackle the leakage of lead from PVSCs and the stability issue without compromising efficiency, paving the way for real-life application of perovskite photovoltaic technology.

The research team is co-led by Professor Alex Jen Kwan-yue, CityU’s Provost and Chair Professor of Chemistry and Materials Science, together with Professor Xu Zhengtao and Dr Zhu Zonglong from the Department of Chemistry. Their research findings were recently published in the scientific journal Nature Nanotechnology, titled “2D metal-organic framework for stable perovskite solar cells with minimized lead leakage”.

Currently, the highest power conversion efficiency of PVSCs has been on par with the state-of-the-art silicon-based solar cells. However, the perovskites used contain lead component which raises a concern for potential environmental contamination. “As the solar cell ages, the lead species can leak through the devices, e.g. through rainwater into the soil, posing a toxicity threat to the environment,” explained Professor Jen who is an expert in PVSCs. “To put PVSCs into large-scale commercial uses, it requires not only high power conversion efficiency but also long-term device stability and minimised environmental impact.”

Read the full story here: City University of Hong Kong