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Dye sensitized solar cells are a type of thin film solar cell used to convert sunlight into electrical energy. These devices use a different mechanism than conventional solar cells and can be made from materials which are biocompatible and biodegradable. The simplicity of design and small environmental impact of these devices make them a likely candidate for replacing conventional PV devices. Since these solar cells are thin film cells, they can be made to be transparent and can be printed on flexible substrate, allowing their incorporation into many household objects such as windows, backpacks, walls, and other objects which would otherwise not be used for energy generation. A wide variety of fabrication techniques and device designs exist for DSSCs, each having its benefits and deficiencies; it is the purpose of this paper to evaluate some of these design variations, including different semiconductor and dye types and scaffolds, as well as semiconductor surface treatment using microwave plasma.
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Emerging opportunities for hybrid perovskite solar cells using machine learning
While there are several bottlenecks in hybrid organic–inorganic perovskite (HOIP) solar cell production steps, including composition screening, fabrication, material stability, and device performance, machine learning approaches have begun to tackle each of these issues in recent years. Different algorithms have successfully been adopted to solve the unique problems at each step of HOIP development. Specifically, high-throughput experimentation produces vast amount of training data required to effectively implement machine learning methods. Here, we present an overview of machine learning models, including linear regression, neural networks, deep learning, and statistical forecasting. Experimental examples from the literature, where machine learning is applied to HOIP composition screening, thin film fabrication, thin film characterization, and full device testing, are discussed. These paradigms give insights into the future of HOIP solar cell research. As databases expand and computational power improves, increasingly accurate predictions of the HOIP behavior are becoming possible.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2023974
- PAR ID:
- 10484006
- Publisher / Repository:
- APL Energy
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- APL Energy
- Volume:
- 1
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 2770-9000
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 020901-1
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Dye sensitized solar cells are a type of thin film solar cell used to convert sunlight into electrical energy. These devices use a different mechanism than conventional solar cells and can be made from materials which are biocompatible and biodegradable. The simplicity of design and small environmental impact of these devices make them a likely candidate for replacing conventional PV devices. Since these solar cells are thin film cells, they can be made to be transparent and can be printed on flexible substrate, allowing their incorporation into many household objects such as windows, backpacks, walls, and other objects which would otherwise not be used for energy generation. A wide variety of fabrication techniques and device designs exist for DSSCs, each having its benefits and deficiencies; it is the purpose of this paper to evaluate some of these design variations, including different semiconductor and dye types and scaffolds, as well as semiconductor surface treatment.more » « less
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The ever increasing library of materials systems developed for organic solar‐cells, including highly promising non‐fullerene acceptors and new, high‐efficiency donor polymers, demands the development of methodologies that i) allow fast screening of a large number of donor:acceptor combinations prior to device fabrication and ii) permit rapid elucidation of how processing affects the final morphology/microstructure of the device active layers. Efficient, fast screening will ensure that important materials combinations are not missed; it will accelerate the technological development of this alternative solar‐cell platform toward larger‐area production; and it will permit understanding of the structural changes that may occur in the active layer over time. Using the relatively high‐efficiency poly[(5,6‐difluoro‐2,1,3‐benzothiadiazol‐4,7‐diyl)‐alt‐(3,3′′′‐di(2‐octyldodecyl)‐2,2′;5′,2′′;5′′,2′′′‐quaterthiophen‐5,5′′′‐diyl)] (PCE11):phenyl‐C61‐butyric acid‐methyl‐ester acceptor (PCBM) blend systems, it is demonstrated that by means of straight‐forward thermal analysis, vapor‐phase‐infiltration imaging, and transient‐absorption spectroscopy, various blend compositions and processing methodologies can be rapidly screened, information on promising combinations can be obtained, reliability issues with respect to reproducibility of thin‐film formation can be identified, and insights into how processing aids, such as nucleating agents, affect structure formation, can be gained.more » « less
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Khadka, Dhruba B. (Ed.)Organometal halides are promising materials for photovoltaic applications, offering tunable electronic levels, excellent charge transport, and simplicity of thin-film device fabrication. Two-dimensional (2D) perovskites have emerged as promising candidates over three-dimensional (3D) ones due to their interesting optical and electrical properties. However, maximizing the power conversion efficiency is a critical issue to improve the performance of these solar cells. In this work, we studied the photophysics of a two-dimensional (2D) perovskite (CH3NH3)2Pb(SCN)2I2 thin film using steady-state and time-resolved absorption and emission spectroscopy and compared it with the three-dimensional (3D) counterpart CH3NH3PbI3. We observed a higher bandgap and faster charge recombination in (CH3NH3)2Pb(SCN)2I2 compared to CH3NH3PbI3. This work provides an improved understanding of fundamental photophysical processes in perovskite structures and provides the guideline for the design, synthesis, and fabrication of solar cells.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0146828
