Replacing the usual glass substrate layer for lead-halide perovskites (LHP) with a layer of metal in a 'novel' approach, a team of researchers led by University of Rochester's Professor of Optics Chunlei Guo, have claimed a 250% jump in perovskite's light conversion efficiency that can be particularly useful for solar energy harvesting.
Calling it a physics-based approach, the team says the result could be achieved by using a substrate of either a layer of metal or alternating layers of metal and dielectric material instead of glass. These alternating layers can comprise silver, a noble metal and aluminum oxide as a dielectric.
"No one else has come to this observation in perovskites," said Guo. "All of a sudden, we can put a metal platform under a perovskite, utterly changing the interaction of the electrons within the perovskite. Thus, we use a physical method to engineer that interaction."
The metal layer functions as a mirror that can create reversed images of electron-hole pairs, weakening the ability of the electrons to recombine with the holes, the team adds.
However, Guo believes more needs to be done to further enhance the performance of perovskites and stop their rapid degradation to make them ready to be used for various applications.
Detailed research work from the team has been published in the scientific journal Nature Photonics and is titled Gigantic suppression of recombination rate in 3D lead-halide perovskites for enhanced photodetector performance.
Back in December 2022, the University of California research team claimed better durability and higher efficiency for perovskite solar cells by adding electrically charged atoms or ions of a metal called neodymium directly to perovskite (see UCLA Research On Protecting Perovskite From Deterioration).