[Alcoa.net] A team led by scientists from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom has counterintuitively used low-sensitivity aluminum oxide (Al2O3) as an electrode instead of photo-excited titanium dioxide (TiO2) as the electrode to treat the solution. The conversion efficiency of solar cells increased to 10.9%, setting a new record. They think this is because alumina can act as an inert scaffold, forcing electrons to stay in it and transport it through an ultra-thin absorber layer. The relevant research report was published in the recently published "Science" magazine.

The researchers said that although the efficiency of solar cells containing gallium arsenide is as high as 28%, this time it undoubtedly created a record of the conversion efficiency of solid-state solar cells that can be processed. At the same time, this conversion rate is expected to increase rapidly in the coming years.

However, in the photoelectric process of absorbing photons and generating electrons, the basic energy loss will gradually increase. To overcome these losses, previous studies have attempted to attach an galvanized layer (ETA) with a thickness of 2 nanometers to 10 nanometers to the inner surface of the titania electrode to enhance current density and voltage. However, the conversion efficiency of solar cells with ETA layers was only 6.3%. Scientists analyzed that this is probably related to the electronic chaos and low mobility caused by titanium dioxide. Therefore, they used alumina as the electrode in this study. The generated photoexcited electrons can be retained in the ETA layer without reducing the energy level in the oxide. At the same time, the use of alumina electrodes also has several advantages. For example, it can significantly increase the electron transfer speed, force electrons to quickly pass through the perovskite ETA layer, and increase the voltage at the same time. This improvement can also increase the conversion efficiency of solar cells from about 8% to 10.9%. Because alumina acts as a mesoscale scaffold, it does not play any role in photoexcitation.

Researchers said that this work has made the low-cost solution-processed solar cell a further step away from the perfect performance of crystalline semiconductors and opened up a wide range of possibilities for future research and development. They also hope that the future efficiency of batteries can be further improved through the use of new types of perovskites and Other semiconductors, or by extending the absorption range of light.

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