by Robert Schreiber
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Dec 11, 2025
Perovskite photo voltaic cells will be made extra sturdy, environment friendly, scalable and cheaper to fabricate by changing indium tin oxide with single-walled carbon nanotubes within the system structure, in keeping with analysis led by the College of Surrey. The staff studies that substituting indium tin oxide, a fragile and expensive photovoltaic materials, with single-walled carbon nanotubes might help versatile perovskite modules which might be extra inexpensive and mechanically resilient.
In work led by Surrey’s Superior Know-how Institute with worldwide companions, researchers present {that a} simple sulfuric acid remedy will increase {the electrical} conductivity of carbon nanotube movies whereas protecting them sufficiently clear for daylight to achieve the perovskite absorber beneath. The remedy additionally varieties a skinny nickel-based stabilising bridge layer, described as a NiSO4-NiOx interfacial layer, which improves {the electrical} connection between layers contained in the photo voltaic cell stack.
Professor Wei Zhang, lead writer from the College of Surrey’s Superior Know-how Institute, mentioned:
“Our course of resulted in a versatile perovskite photo voltaic cell freed from indium tin oxide that achieved greater than 20% energy conversion effectivity throughout massive areas, with small-scale gadgets reaching a file 24.5%. It is protected to say that our personal outcomes took us all unexpectedly.”
As a result of carbon nanotube movies will be produced utilizing roll-to-roll chemical vapour deposition, a course of already utilized in large-scale electronics manufacturing, the researchers state that this electrode technique is suitable with industrial-scale manufacturing of versatile photo voltaic panels. They argue that this might ship high-performing versatile modules manufactured at volumes appropriate for business deployment.
Assessments confirmed a marked enchancment in operational stability. After one month of simultaneous publicity to warmth, humidity and simulated daylight, the gadgets retained greater than 95% of their authentic efficiency, outperforming standard indium-tin-oxide-based designs below comparable situations.
Professor Ravi Silva, co-author of the research and Director of the Superior Know-how Institute on the College of Surrey, mentioned:
“We are actually satisfied that carbon nanotube electrodes can do what indium tin oxide can’t – mix excessive efficiency with mechanical power and low value. These outcomes deliver versatile, scalable photo voltaic know-how a giant step nearer to real-world functions.”
The staff additionally assessed mechanical sturdiness by repeatedly bending the modules. Conventional indium-tin-oxide-based gadgets misplaced practically three-quarters of their effectivity after 1,000 bends, whereas gadgets utilizing single-walled carbon nanotube electrodes misplaced solely round 5% and confirmed no seen cracking or delamination.
Researchers examined value and environmental impacts as effectively. They estimate that producing single-walled carbon nanotube movies by way of roll-to-roll chemical vapour deposition is round six occasions cheaper than indium tin oxide sputtering, reducing manufacturing prices by roughly $200 per sq. metre. Since indium is scarce and energy-intensive to extract, transferring to carbon-based electrodes might lower each manufacturing prices and the general carbon footprint of photo voltaic module fabrication.
The staff locations these ends in the broader context of perovskite know-how, a category of supplies typically highlighted in photo voltaic analysis for combining low-cost constituents with excessive light-harvesting effectivity. Perovskites will be processed at decrease temperatures than silicon and fashioned into mild, versatile gadgets that may bend, curve and be built-in onto a spread of surfaces. Nevertheless, long-term stability and fragile elements have slowed business adoption, and the brand new electrode design goals instantly at these constraints.
Professor Wei Zhang added: “Our work tackles one of many largest boundaries to commercialisation – value and scalability. Versatile, light-weight photo voltaic modules like these might energy all the pieces from transportable electronics to next-generation constructing supplies.”
Analysis Report:Integrating SWCNT to bridge the steadiness divide in scalable and manufacturable versatile perovskite photo voltaic modules
Associated Hyperlinks
College of Surrey
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