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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Shanghai, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) — In a move toward green energy, Chinese scientists have developed tin-based solar cells that are as efficient as traditional lead-based models but pose no threat to the environment or human health, according to a Nature article published Wednesday.
The new discovery could accelerate the adoption of perovskite photovoltaic cells, a next-generation battery technology, into everyday use.
A team led by researchers from Fudan University has developed a lead-free alternative that delivers a record energy conversion efficiency of 17.7 percent, the highest known for such cells to date.
"Our goal is to develop a solar cell that is truly sustainable throughout its entire life cycle," said Liang Jia, co-author of the study. He said tin offers an ideal solution because it is "abundant, safe, compatible with solar energy conversion, and easily manufactured on an industrial scale."
Because tin ions are easily oxidized and the interface between the layers is generally unstable, the efficiency of converting sunlight into electrical energy in the first tin-based solar cells was only 10 percent.
A team led by Liang Ji redesigned the hidden interface by introducing a molecular film to form a uniform interfacial layer with a well-chosen energy level.
According to the study results, this approach helps create a “super-wetting” sublayer that promotes the growth of uniform, high-quality tin-based perovskite films with reduced defect density.
According to Liang Ji, in terms of material cost, tin-based solar cells are theoretically much cheaper than their silicon counterparts.
Looking to the future, this green photovoltaic technology is expected to be widely adopted in building-mounted photovoltaic systems, wearable energy devices, vehicle rooftops, and off-grid clean power systems.
“This technology is particularly well suited for energy applications that involve close human contact,” Liang Jia noted. -0-
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