Abstract Title
Hybrid Perovskites for Photovoltaics
Additional Funding Sources
The project described was supported by the National Science Foundation via the Research Experience for Undergraduates Site: Materials for Society (Award Nos. DMR 1658076 and 1950305) and by Boise State University.
Abstract
As the world transitions towards renewable sources of energy, the need for an affordable yet efficient source is ever increasing to meet the demands of global energy consumption. Perovskites are a relatively new technology in the solar energy field and their meteoric rise in efficiency has been unprecedented compared to other competing photovoltaic technologies. In particular, hybrid organometallic perovskites have generated tremendous interest over the past twenty years due to their outstanding photoactive capabilities, high performance and low production costs making them a target candidate for becoming a truly disruptive renewable energy technology.
The primary objective of this study was to design and develop strategic synthetic methodologies for obtaining reproducible homogeneous, pinhole-free hybrid organometallic perovskite thin films. Various substrate treatment methods were explored to modify and enhance substrate wettability for thin film deposition attempts. Rudimentary characterization efforts were carried out on the synthesized perovskite thin films. X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy and profilometry were utilized to quantify phase composition, film homogeneity and film thickness/surface metrology, respectively. Analysis of the data demonstrated that the synthetic methodology was highly dependent upon reaction conditions. Inert atmospheric conditions yielded more homogeneous and pinhole-free thin films compared to ambient, as suspected. However, the methodology for ambient synthesis was refined immensely, ultimately yielding thin films comparable to those synthesized under inert conditions.
Hybrid Perovskites for Photovoltaics
As the world transitions towards renewable sources of energy, the need for an affordable yet efficient source is ever increasing to meet the demands of global energy consumption. Perovskites are a relatively new technology in the solar energy field and their meteoric rise in efficiency has been unprecedented compared to other competing photovoltaic technologies. In particular, hybrid organometallic perovskites have generated tremendous interest over the past twenty years due to their outstanding photoactive capabilities, high performance and low production costs making them a target candidate for becoming a truly disruptive renewable energy technology.
The primary objective of this study was to design and develop strategic synthetic methodologies for obtaining reproducible homogeneous, pinhole-free hybrid organometallic perovskite thin films. Various substrate treatment methods were explored to modify and enhance substrate wettability for thin film deposition attempts. Rudimentary characterization efforts were carried out on the synthesized perovskite thin films. X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy and profilometry were utilized to quantify phase composition, film homogeneity and film thickness/surface metrology, respectively. Analysis of the data demonstrated that the synthetic methodology was highly dependent upon reaction conditions. Inert atmospheric conditions yielded more homogeneous and pinhole-free thin films compared to ambient, as suspected. However, the methodology for ambient synthesis was refined immensely, ultimately yielding thin films comparable to those synthesized under inert conditions.