"It is a revolutionary material."
Photo credit: Jon Lafuente-Bartolomé
Scientists at the Texas Advanced Computing Center are gaining insight, at the atomic level, into why perovskites are such an efficient material for converting sunlight into electricity.
The breakthrough was discovered using a supercomputer that found “vortex structures in quasiparticles of electrons and atoms, called polarons,” according to a summary that draws heavily on lab jargon.
The important takeaway for energy consumers across America is that the findings could help develop new solar cells and LED lighting that have the potential to “reshape the future of lighting,” experts say.
“These polarons show very intriguing patterns. The atoms are spinning around the electron and forming vortices that have never been observed before,” Feliciano Giustino, co-author of the study and director of the Center for Quantum Materials Engineering at the Oden Institute in Texas, said in the abstract.
Halogenated perovskites are a family of crystalline minerals that are being hailed by many experts as a potential replacement for silicon in solar panels, primarily because of their efficiency and potential for low production costs.
The U.S. Department of Energy reports that the material’s use is hampered by its short operational life. Experts in other countries are combining it with silicon for use in panels, with good results.
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Polarons, or “pieces of charge…give perovskites special properties,” Giustino said.
In what must be a fascinating scene, polaron atoms swirl around electrons to form vortices. The electrons become excited when struck by photons of light. The vortices could help keep them in this state for longer, according to the abstract.
“We suspect that this strange swirling structure prevents the electron from returning to the unexcited energy level,” Giustino explains. The particle motion is necessary to convert solar radiation into energy.
This comes at an exciting time for solar cell innovations that are making cleaner, renewable energy more accessible to the public. This technology is helping to better electrify homes, appliances and vehicles at lower costs.
With federal incentives, you can save 30% on the cost of a home solar installation. EnergySage is a free service that can help you navigate tax credits, products and installers. On average, solar panel owners save about $1,500 per year on their utility bills.
If Texas’ perovskite research can improve LEDs, it could help save even more money at home. The best bulbs already save homeowners an average of $600 a year if at least 40 bulbs are replaced.
It’s important to note that LEDs produce about five times less air pollution than other types of bulbs, which trap heat. The planet-warming fumes are associated with increased risks of cancer and other diseases.
Giustino said his team’s findings would not have been possible without highly advanced computers, which helped identify polarons and the unique way they, electrons and photons interact in perovskite.
The material, meanwhile, has advanced rapidly, turning sunlight into electricity at an efficiency rate of about 25 percent, according to the government. MarketWatch reports that most solar panels on the market using silicon have rates below 23 percent, for reference.
“It’s a revolutionary material,” Giustino said of perovskite. “That’s why many research groups working on photovoltaics have turned to perovskites, because they’re very promising.”
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