Perovskite Solar Cells

The goal of the proposed research is to develop light-weight, flexible, high efficiency solar cells made from perovskite halide light-harvesting materials for use on unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), for use in conjunction with an energy storage system. Solar cells have historically been heavy, costly, and inflexible. In this research, low-cost manufacturing methods will be used to make high efficiency (~20%) solar cells that are extremely lightweight. To achieve these goals, we turn to the perovskite halide solar cell materials, which have shown remarkable progress in the past six years as solution processable, low-cost solar cell materials that nonetheless exhibit high efficiencies. Among existing solar cell technologies, the perovskite halides present one of the most promising technologies for achieving efficiencies in excess of 20% at suitable costs and in a lightweight form factor because they are grown in thin film form, minimizing the material. In this proposal, we will explore two different methods of growing perovskite halide based solar cells: hot-casting of solutions, and physical vapor deposition. The approaches will be evaluated based on the efficiency of the resultant cell, the scalability of the manufacturing process, flexibility and the cost. An accompanying energy storage system will also be designed