-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueComing to Terms With AI
In this issue, we examine the profound effect artificial intelligence and machine learning are having on manufacturing and business processes. We follow technology, innovation, and money as automation becomes the new key indicator of growth in our industry.
Box Build
One trend is to add box build and final assembly to your product offering. In this issue, we explore the opportunities and risks of adding system assembly to your service portfolio.
IPC APEX EXPO 2024 Pre-show
This month’s issue devotes its pages to a comprehensive preview of the IPC APEX EXPO 2024 event. Whether your role is technical or business, if you're new-to-the-industry or seasoned veteran, you'll find value throughout this program.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
Scientists Develop Lead-Absorbing Tape to Boost Viability of Rising Star in Solar Power Industry
December 10, 2021 | Northern Illinois UniversityEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Researchers at Northern Illinois University and the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, are reporting a potential breakthrough that could help speed commercialization of highly promising perovskite solar cells (PSCs) for use in solar panels.
In an Oct. 28 brief communication to the journal Nature Sustainability, the scientists describe development of a cost-effective Scotch-tape-like film that can be applied to PSCs and capture 99.9% of leaked lead in the event of solar cell damage.
The industry-ready film would help alleviate health and safety concerns without compromising perovskite solar-cell performance or operation, according to the research team. Testing of the lead-absorbing film included submerging damaged cells in water.
“Our practical approach mitigates the potential lead-leakage to a level safer than the standard for drinking water,” said NIU Chemistry Professor Tao Xu, who co-led the research with Kai Zhu of NREL’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
“We can easily apply our lead-absorbing materials to off-the-shelf films currently used to encapsulate silicon-based solar cells at the end of their production, so existing fabrication processes for PSCs would not be disrupted,” Xu added. “At the end of PSC production, the films would be laminated to the solar cell.”
An emerging class of solar cells, PSCs are considered rising stars in the field of solar energy because of their high-power conversion efficiency (exceeding 25.5%) and low manufacturing costs. But PSCs are not yet commercially available on a widescale basis because key challenges remain, including potential lead-toxicity issues.
Small amounts of water-soluble lead continue to be essential components to the light-absorbing layer of high efficiency PSCs, which must be able to withstand severe weather for commercial viability. Significant lead leakage from damaged cells would cause health and safety concerns.
To counter those concerns, the transparent tapes use lead absorbents made with a standard solar ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) film and a pre-laminated layer of lead-absorbing material. The tape can be attached to both sides of fabricated PSCs, as in the standard encapsulation process used in silicon-based solar cells.
Among the tests used to assess the durability of the new technology, the scientists exposed the film-encapsulated PSCs to outdoor, rooftop conditions for three months. Razor blades and hammers were used to then damage the solar cells before they were submerged in water for seven days. The lead-absorbing tapes exhibited a lead-sequestration efficiency of over 99.9%.
“Perovskite solar cells hold great hope for a more sustainable future,” Xu said. “This work offers a convenient and industry-ready method to diminish the potential lead leakage from lead-containing PSCs, facilitating future commercialization of perovskite-based photovoltaic technology.”
The research was supported by the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy under the Solar Energy Technology Office. In addition to Xu and Zhu, authors on the communication to Nature Sustainability are NIU Ph.D. students Xun Li and Jianxin Wang and postdoctoral researchers Fei Zhang and Jinhui Tong of NREL’s Chemistry and Nanoscience Center.
NREL is leading the commercialization of this new lead-absorbing technology, but interested companies can also contact NIU Innovation Director Luke Sebby and Assistant Director for Technology Transfer Mark Hankins.
Suggested Items
Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2024: Direct Imaging Equipment and Quad-wave DLP Light Engine Technology
05/03/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOGuest Editor Kelly Dack and MivaTek's Brendan Hogan delve into the company's innovative technologies, including direct imaging equipment and quad-wave DLP light engine technology. They highlight the benefits of direct imaging, compensation, and DART technology.
iNEMI Names Grace O'Malley CTO
05/02/2024 | iNEMIThe Board of Directors of the International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI) has named Grace O'Malley Chief Technical Officer (CTO).
Dubai Launches Global Blueprint for Artificial Intelligence
05/02/2024 | BUSINESS WIREDubai has launched a blueprint for Artificial Intelligence (AI), a yearly plan that will focus on harnessing the technology’s potential to improve quality of life around the world.
NextFlex Convenes the Hybrid Electronics Community at Binghamton University
05/01/2024 | NextFlexBinghamton University hosted the NextFlex hybrid electronics community on April 18 for a day of expert presentations, breakout sessions on technology and manufacturing topics, and networking.
IDTechEx Report on Quantum Technology: Nano-scale Physics for Massive Market Impact
04/30/2024 | PRNewswireThe quantum technology market leverages nano-scale physics to create revolutionary new devices for computing, sensing, and communications. Across the industry, quantum technology offers a paradigm shift in performance compared with incumbent solutions.