12 scientists were awarded in the 11th edition of the "Maestro" grant funded by the National Science Centre. Among them was professor Janusz Lewiński with "Elaboration of unconventional nanostructured perovskites and zinc oxide through compositional and morphological engineering for game-changing improvements in light-harvesting devices" project. The research will develop and improve the production of new perovskites materials using environmentally friendly mechanochemical methods, in which chemical reactions take place between solids without solvents or elevated temperatures. The focus of the project will be on the development a new class of perovskite layers that will allow increasing solar cell stability. The project will also result in a better understanding of the mechanochemical synthesis of the perovskites which will be done by in-situ tracking, which has not been carried out anywhere else in the world. In addition, to the light-absorbing layer, another crucial element of the photovoltaic cells is an electron transport layer (ETL). It transports the electrons extracted from the absorber to generate electricity. ETL material should have high electron mobility and the size of the forbidden gap compatible with the absorber. In the case of perovskite cells, one of the most promising candidates for creating material the electron transport layer is nanocrystalline zinc oxide.
Full results avaiable on:
https://www.ncn.gov.pl/konkursy/wyniki/2020-02-18-maestro11-sonatabis9-uwertura4
