STTR Phase II: Scalable fabrication of stable perovskite solar panels using slot-die coating technique

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II project is to advance the development of new low-cost and high-efficiency solar cells. This process uses abundant natural resources as the raw material, using a novel technology to make parts that can be printed on plastic foils to significantly reduce manufacturing and installation costs. This project will develop advanced manufacturing technology for the solar cell industry. This STTR Phase II project proposes to develop a reliable, reproducible, and cost-effective upscaling of perovskite photovoltaic (PV) devices using an industry-proven slot-die coating technique, to ultimately produce flexible and rigid, highly efficient perovskite solar cells (PSC). The efficiency of perovskite solar cells has surged to over 22% in recent research and now rivals that of CdTe, and Si-based solar panels. Most research lab perovskite solar cell devices are fabricated via spin casting and have a device area of less 1 sq. cm. Despite the progress of perovskite solar cell technology, three fundamental issues need to be addressed for commercialization: device lifetime, controllable perovskite deposition, and improved manufacturing, especially in the area of scalability. This project's objectives are to: 1) produce a hybrid perovskite (HP) slot-die deposition solution for large solar panels sized 600-1200 mm and beyond, 2) build slot-die coating solution for perovskite-silicon tandem photovoltaic cells, and 3) conduct modeling and reliability studies to optimize the system. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.