Perovskites and Solar Energy

Welcome back! I know it’s been some time since I’ve posted on Limitless, but I’ve been interested in something quite intriguing for the past couple of months, and now I feel like talking about it. So what is this intriguing thing? Perovskites.

So what are Perovskites? Well, they are minerals that have a crystal structure of ABX3, where A and B are cations where A is larger than B. and X is the anion, usually a halide. Perovskites are naturally occurring 3D substances, but can also be synthesized and come in 2D forms as well. Quite a complex definition, but we care more about where these substances are implemented. First, let’s talk about how they were discovered. Russian mineralogist Lev Perovski is credited with the discovery of these substances, specifically calcium titanate, CaTiO3, in the

Ural Mountains. Of course, the substances with the same structure as calcium titanate were named after him: Perovskites.

So why are these substances so important? Towards the end of the 20th century and following into the 21st century, hybrid perovskite research has proven to be significant for photovoltaics. In other words, these substances can be used to create efficient solar cells, comparable to the silicon ones that are used commercially for significantly higher prices. More precisely, crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells have laboratory energy conversion efficiencies of over 25%. Recently, perovskite solar cells have similar conversion efficiencies (over 23%). This is quite amazing considering that perovskites can be made using just a few chemical reactions and be just as efficient as silicon solar cells.

Despite the exceptional electrical and optical properties of 3D perovskites, they fall short in durability. Their lack of stability in solar cells allows them to only last for a few months in outdoor conditions. Because of their greater environmental stability, 2D perovskites have become substances of great interest.

Ultimately, hybrid perovskites are revolutionary because of their applications in photovoltaics. Perovskite solar cells can pave the way for more efficient ways to access solar energy, helping solve the energy crisis. The fascinating thing about these substances is that synthesizing them is simply a matter of mixing the right substances (cations), so developing the most effective perovskite solar cell is almost trial and error.

You might be wondering, how can you test the effectiveness and the properties of newly synthesized perovskites? There are multiple answers to that, but that’s where computation and machine learning comes into play. For instance, machine learning can take data from existing perovskites and predict the properties of a newly fabricated one. As I said before, this field of study is fairly new, but I’m certain that perovskite solar cells are the future of commercial solar energy. We will definitely see some breakthroughs in the coming years regarding solar energy, and perovskites will play a role in this advancement.

Once again, thank you for reading Limitless!