NWO grant to make perovskites ‘sing’

AMOLF researcher Fanny Thorimbert has received an NWO grant in the Open Competition ENW-XS call. Together with other researchers in the Nanoscale Solar Cell group — including Sarah Gillespie and group leader Erik Garnett — Fanny will investigate the material perovskite, which has high potential to contribute to the energy transition. The grant amounts to 50.000 euros. 

As suggested by the project title “Making perovskites ‘sing’ with light,” the researchers aim to make perovskite’s mobile ions move in an orchestrated manner, directed by light. 

Perovskites

Halide perovskite semiconductors are among the most exciting new materials for solar cells, LEDs, and other technologies — but their widespread commercialization remains limited due to their intrinsic instability. This instability is mainly caused by mobile ions that are inherent to the perovskite material itself. 

Paradoxically, these same mobile ions play a crucial role in novel perovskite applications, such as optical computing and neural networks. “Whether we aim to suppress or exploit the effects of these ions, we must first understand their behavior at a fundamental level”, says Erik. 

Spectroscopy 

The project explores an entirely new spectroscopy method that allows the researchers to measure the movement of ions using only light. Erik is excited about the implications: “The approach removes the need for electrical contacts and thus enables tracking the ionic processes throughout the whole optoelectronic device fabrication process, rather than only at the end when the device is completed.” 

Learn more

Have a look at our Nanoscale Solar Cell research group.