The transition towards more efficient solar energy requires not only materials that better harness sunlight but also rapid and precise manufacturing methods transferable from laboratory to industry. This is the challenge addressed by research involving the Molecular Science Institute of the University of Valencia (ICMol), part of the UV Science Park.
The new method, named Gas-FE (Gas Flow Assisted Flash Evaporation), is a gas flow-assisted flash evaporation technique that enables the production of perovskite thin films without solvents and at deposition speeds exceeding one micrometer per minute. The findings have been published in the scientific journal ACS Energy Letters.
Perovskites are materials with a crystalline structure that grants them properties of particular interest for electronic and photovoltaic applications, such as absorbing sunlight to convert it into electricity. Their ability to form extremely thin films opens opportunities for manufacturing photovoltaic devices through innovative processes. However, a significant challenge has been achieving layers of material with the desired composition, uniformity, and properties rapidly, controllably, and reproducibly, especially with complex materials.
The Gas-FE procedure uses a gas flow to assist rapid material evaporation and deposit it onto a surface. Its key innovation is enabling the processing of complex perovskite compositions using a single evaporation source, eliminating the need for solvents. In the experiments conducted, the team achieved deposition speeds exceeding one micrometer of thickness per minute, a significant figure for future industrial application.
To verify the functionality of the obtained materials, the team developed an experimental solar cell that achieved an energy conversion efficiency of 9.6%. This result demonstrates that perovskite layers produced with this technique can be integrated into functional photovoltaic devices, paving the way for faster and more reproducible manufacturing processes for next-generation solar technologies.
The research is part of the work of the Molecular Optoelectronic Devices (MOED) group at ICMol and includes participation from UV researchers Vladimir Held, Ana Puchades Ortiz, and Cristina Roldán-Carmona, as well as Nathan Rodkey and Tom Baines. The project is funded by European Next Generation EU funds, within the PERTE Chip initiative.
