FTO Darkening Rate as a Qualitative, High-Throughput Mapping Method for Screening Li-Ionic Conduction in Thin Solid Electrolytes.

We present a high-throughput (combinatorial) method to screen thin ceramic films as Li-ion conductors by mapping an optical effect of Li-ion conduction. The method, while qualitative, is fast and simple to implement, provides a planar (XY) map of Li-ion conductivity through different parts of the film. The effect, , is an optoelectrochemical one that relies on darkening of the FTO (F-doped tin oxide) substrate, onto which the investigated film is deposited.

How Transparent Oxides Gain Some Color: Discovery of a CeNiO Reduced Bandgap Phase As an Absorber for Photovoltaics.

In this work, we describe the formation of a reduced bandgap CeNiO phase, which, to our knowledge, has not been previously reported, and we show how it is utilized as an absorber layer in a photovoltaic cell. The CeNiO phase is prepared by a combinatorial materials science approach, where a library containing a continuous compositional spread of Ce NiO is formed by pulsed laser deposition (PLD); a method that has not been used in the past to form Ce-Ni-O materials. The library displays a reduced bandgap throughout, calculated to be 1.

Process-Function Data Mining for the Discovery of Solid-State Iron-Oxide PV.

Data mining tools have been known to be useful for analyzing large material data sets generated by high-throughput methods. Typically, the descriptors used for the analysis are structural descriptors, which can be difficult to obtain and to tune according to the results of the analysis. In this Research Article, we show the use of deposition process parameters as descriptors for analysis of a photovoltaics data set.

Surface Polarization Model for the Dynamic Hysteresis of Perovskite Solar Cells.

The dynamic hysteresis of perovskite solar cells consists of the occurrence of significant deviations of the current density-voltage curve shapes depending on the specific conditions of measurement such as starting voltage, waiting time, scan rate, and other factors. Dynamic hysteresis is a serious impediment to stabilized and reliable measurement and operation of the perovskite solar cells. In this Letter, we formulate a model for the dynamic hysteresis based on the idea that the cell accumulates a huge quantity of surface electronic charge at forward bias that is released on voltage sweeping, causing extra current over the normal response.

Perovskites for Photovoltaics in the Spotlight: Photoinduced Physical Changes and Their Implications.

Organic-inorganic halide perovskites are in consensus to revolutionize the field of photovoltaics and optoelectronic devices due to their superior optical and electronic properties which are unprecedented in comparison to those of other solution processed semiconductors. These hybrid materials are used as light absorbers and also as charge carriers which makes them very versatile to be implemented and studied in a multitude of fields. Traditionally, the working paradigm in solar cells and optoelectronic devices' characterization has been that the properties of photovoltaic materials remain stable following illumination of varying times and intensities.