Project description
Paving the way for non-toxic perovskite solar cells
Perovskite solar cells are a promising technology for generating clean energy from the Sun, bringing remarkable power conversion efficiencies of around 25 %. However, these impressive gains come at a cost: perovskites are made using lead, a highly toxic material that raises key environmental concerns. The quest for non-toxic perovskite solar cells is still at its infancy: power conversion efficiencies hardly reach 12 %, mostly due to defects in the perovskite bulk and in the interface between the perovskite and charge-extraction layers. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the RADICEL project plans to investigate energetic alignment, charge transfer rates, recombination losses and trap density at these interfaces to gain a further understanding of the loss mechanisms in lead-free perovskite solar cells.
Objective
Lead (Pb) based perovskite solar cells (PSCs) demonstrate a remarkable power conversion efficiency (PCE of 25.2%). Their toxicity, however, raises environmental concerns and might hinder their commercial deployment. Quest for non-toxic PSCs is still at its infancy: The PCE in Pb-free PSCs is merely around 12%, which is about one third of their radiative limit. An analysis of recent literature on the Pb-free PSCs suggests a high non-radiative recombination in them, as evidenced by their high voltage loss and a low fill factor.
These non-radiative recombination losses occur due to defects in the perovskite bulk and at the perovskite/charge extraction layers (CTLs) interfaces. Significant research is being carried out to suppress bulk defects, however, systematic investigations of the photophysical and photochemical properties of perovskite/CTLs interfaces remained relatively ignored. For instance, there is no quantitative data to decouple losses in Pb-free PSCs due to bulk and interfacial defects. There is also little information on the chemical and electronic properties of the interface between Pb-free perovskites and different CTLs.
This project aims to systematically investigate energetic alignment, charge transfer rates, recombination, trap density and trap depth etc. at the interfaces between Pb-free perovskites and a range of CTLs (organic, inorganic). Measuring quasi-Fermi level splitting and its correlation with open-circuit voltage will help in quantifying losses due to the different interfaces. Based on the insights gained from these investigations, the interfacial properties will be tuned via doping the CTLs or via surface passivation schemes to improve charge transfer/extraction rate. The experimental findings together with insights gained from device simulations will help us to propose an elaborated picture of the loss mechanisms in Pb-free PSCs and to design device architectures to systematically alleviate device performance.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
78464 Konstanz
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.