A research team led by Wang Xingzhu and Liu Chang from the University of South China has published groundbreaking findings in Advanced Energy Materials (impact factor 24.4) demonstrating that cesium tin triiodide (CsSnI₃) quantum dots can simultaneously enhance both the efficiency and stability of bilayer perovskite solar cells through a novel zero-dimensional/three-dimensional (0D/3D) heterojunction architecture.
Recently, a research team led by Professors Wang Xingzhu and Liu Chang from the School of Electrical Engineering at the University of South China published a groundbreaking study in Advanced Energy Materials (latest impact factor 24.4, Chinese Academy of Sciences Class 1) titled "CsSnI₃ Quantum Dots as a Multifunctional Interlayer for High-Efficiency Bilayer Perovskite Solar Cells." By constructing a novel 0D/3D heterojunction architecture, this research achieves a simultaneous breakthrough in both photovoltaic conversion efficiency and environmental stability of perovskite solar cells, providing a critical technical path for the industrial application of next-generation high-efficiency, stable photovoltaic devices.
Perovskite solar cells have emerged as a research hotspot in photovoltaics due to their exceptional photovoltaic properties (theoretical efficiency exceeding 30%) and low-cost solution-processable advantages. However, the efficiency of single-junction devices is approaching the Shockley-Queisser theoretical limit (26%), while performance degradation caused by humidity sensitivity severely hinders their commercialization. To address this challenge, the University of South China’s new energy materials team has innovatively proposed a bilayer absorption structure to broaden the spectral response range and optimize interfacial charge transport mechanisms, representing a critical strategy to overcome these bottlenecks.
Figure 1. Schematic of 0D/3D Device Fabrication
The research team pioneered the design of a zero-dimensional/three-dimensional (0D/3D) heterojunction architecture (Figure 1), employing CsSnI₃ quantum dots as a multifunctional interlayer. Through innovative strategies including cascading energy level design, surface passivation treatment, moisture resistance optimization, and light absorption enhancement, this architecture significantly enhances both energy conversion efficiency and long-term stability of perovskite solar cells, opening new avenues for the industrial application of low-cost, high-performance optoelectronic devices. Future applications are envisioned in building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), flexible electronic devices, and space energy systems.
Figure 2. Device Structure and Efficiency Plot
The New Energy Materials Team at the University of South China has been approved to establish the Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Carbon Neutrality New Energy Photovoltaics and Photovoltaic-Energy Storage Integration Technology. Comprising 11 core members, including 1 national-level talent and 3 provincial-level talents, the team has published over 300 papers in prestigious journals such as Science and Joule in the past five years. Guided by the philosophy of "driving technological transformation through theoretical innovation," the team is dedicated to advancing low-cost, large-scale photovoltaic applications.
This research was jointly funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Ministry of Science and Technology Key R&D Program, and Hunan Provincial Science and Technology Projects. Experimental work received technical support from collaborative institutions including the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and RIKEN (The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research) in Japan. Professor Wang Xingzhu and Professor Liu Chang served as co-corresponding authors, with Assistant Laboratory Technician Liu Chunchen as the first author.
Paper Link:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aenm.202405074
