Researchers at Imperial College London have studied the mechanism that causes perovskite solar cells to degrade so quickly. Their findings could pave the way for a more efficient, longer-lasting solar cell. Previous research by ICL scientists showed "superoxides" work to break down the perovskite material. Now, the ICL team discovered how superoxides form and cause damage.

When light hits perovskite, electrons are released and react with oxygen to form superoxides. The formation of superoxides is aided by gaps in the perovskite nanostructure, normally occupied by iodide. Superoxides take advantage of these iodide-less defects.

Scientists at the Australian National University (ANU), which only last month reported a new world record in the development of perovskite-based solar cells (26% efficiency in converting sunlight into energy), have now announced a new achievement in making perovskite solar cells. Interestingly, this was done by learning from the blue Morpho Didius butterfly how to direct different colors of light.

The ANU team developed structures similar to the butterfly’s tiny cone-shaped nanostructures that scatter light. These allow them to finely control the direction of light in experiments, which the scientists say can be very useful in next-generation solar cells, such as tandem solar cells with a perovskite and a silicon layer. In such tandem cells, the perovskite layers are meant to absorb the blue, green and ultraviolet colors of sunlight and leave the red, orange and yellow light to the silicon layer.

Leading simulation and measurement tool provider Fluxim and Perovskite-Info have teamed up to offer a 20% discount on Fluxim's large-area PV simulation software LAOSS.

LAOSS is a software tool that simulates large area semiconductor devices (PV and OLED ), taking into account the voltage drop in the electrodes due to important resistive effects when the size of the device increases. LAOSS facilitates electrode layout optimization and material choice, which can save substantial time and resources. Any material class of PV devices can be modeled in a few clicks, from emerging technologies like perovskite and OPV to established Si or thin film technology.