A team from Skoltech’s Center for Energy Science and Technology, led by Aleksandra Boldyreva and working with INSCAN, has developed a thin polymer coating that extends the working life of flexible perovskite solar cells. The results were published in the scientific journal Applied Physics Letters.
The coated cells retained around 98% of their efficiency after 10,000 hours, more than a year of operation, which amounts to a loss of just 2%. By contrast, unprotected cells stopped working after 600 hours, about 25 days, mainly because of moisture, air and ultraviolet radiation.
The team tested several versions of parylene. Parylene-N, made only of carbon and hydrogen, performed best overall, while parylene-F resisted UV light well but offered little protection against moisture, and parylene-C blocked moisture but let through silver ions that disrupt current collection.
Perovskite cells can convert sunlight with an efficiency of up to 27%. The researchers plan further tests at 85% relative humidity and 85 °C, and suggest the coating can be tailored to each application, including possible uses in space.
