New hybrid organic-inorganic ferrophotovoltaic perovskites nanoparticles with high voltage for indoor and IoT applications

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel hybrid ferroelectric organic-inorganic perovskite nanoparticle solar cell with high voltage output, suitable for indoor and IoT applications, demonstrating significantly improved efficiency over traditional oxides.

Contribution

It presents the synthesis and integration of ferroelectric PZN-4.5PT nanoparticles in a biopolymer matrix to create hybrid photovoltaic films with high voltage and efficiency.

Findings

Power Conversion Efficiency up to 31.62% under LED illumination

Open-circuit voltages of 5.17 and 5.86 V achieved

Successful fabrication of hybrid thin films via spin coating

Abstract

The ideal band gap for a photovoltaic active layer for the solar spectrum is around 1.3 eV. However oxides with such values are rare. One of the most studied oxides to date as a photovoltaic active layer is the cuprous oxide Cu2O. Its band gap is around 2.1 eV and is therefore not ideal for the solar spectrum. Power Conversion Efficiency generally do not exceed 4%. In this paper we propose to study an emerging type of solar cell that is based on ferroelectricity. In this type of solar cell, a p-n junction is not necessarily required, unlike conventional solar cells. Interesting conversion efficiencies are beginning to be obtained with this type of cell, however the mechanisms are still not well understood and several material and engineering challenges must be addressed. The objective of this paper is to initiate an innovative photovoltaic technology based on novel inorganic with suitable bandgap widths and organic materials (biopolymer). These oxides are more stables. We synthesized ferroelectric materials that absorb a large part of the solar spectrum with reduced bandgap widths. PZN-4.5PT nanoparticles were dispersed in a biopolymer matrix. Hybrid thin films with these inorganic nanoparticles embedded in a biopolymer have been successfully fabricated by spin coating on ITO substrate. Structural, morphological and electrical properties were investigated. The best Power Conversion Efficiencies measure under a light LED illumination of 3550 lux are respectively 21.83 % and 31.62 % for 15 and 30 min light exposition with an open-circuit voltage of 5.17 and 5.86 V.