New Helmholtz Young Investigator Group at HZB on perovskite solar cells
Silvia Mariotti aims to advance the development of multi-junction solar cells made from different perovskite layers. © arö/HZB
Silvia Mariotti starts building up the new Helmholtz Young Investigator Group ‘Perovskite-based multi-junction solar cells’. The perovskite expert, who was previously based at Okinawa University in Japan, aims to advance the development of multi-junction solar cells made from different perovskite layers.
‘My goal is to fabricate all-perovskite triple junction solar cells with efficiencies well above 30% and extrapolated stability of more than five years,’ says Silvia Mariotti. Perovskite-based triple junction solar cells are a relatively new area of research, with the current efficiency record standing at 28.7%. Mariotti’s first step is to develop molecularly engineered perovskite materials with tailor-made band gaps that are stable and resilient to multi-stacking processes. ‘Then, we will develop innovative deposition techniques that enable us to produce prototypes of bifacial and flexible all-perovskite triple junction solar cells,’ says the expert.
Silvia Mariotti holds a Master's degree in Industrial Chemistry from the University of Bologna and subsequently completed her PhD in physics on perovskite solar cells at the University of Liverpool. She then continued with postdoctoral positions at the University of Bordeaux, the University of Tokyo, HZB and the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology in Japan.
‘HZB is an ideal environment for my research. Here, I have access to well-equipped laboratories, such as the Hysprint Lab, and a wide range of instruments for characterising multi-junction solar cells. And since exchange is crucial, here I can count on collaborating with several excellent research groups who are working on every aspect of perovskites. I am very much looking forward to inspiring discussions and to building my own team here,’ says Silvia Mariotti. She will also work closely with Humboldt University of Berlin.
Helmholtz Young Investigator Groups
A Helmholtz Young Investigators Group leadership position is awarded following a rigorous selection process. In addition to scientific excellence, international experience is required. Helmholtz Young Investigators Groups receive a total of at least 1.5 million euros in funding for five years and collaborate closely with a partner university. The programme offers reliable prospects for a scientific career: after a positive evaluation, a permanent position is offered.
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- Long-term test shows: Efficiency of perovskite cells varies with the seasonScientists at HZB run a long-term experiment on the roof of a building at the Adlershof campus. They expose a wide variety of solar cells to the weather conditions, recording their performance over a period of years. These include perovskite solar cells, a new photovoltaic material offering high efficiency and low manufacturing costs. Dr Carolin Ulbrich and Dr Mark Khenkin evaluated four years of data and presented their findings in Advanced Energy Materials. This is the longest series of measurements on perovskite cells in outdoor use to date. The scientists found that standard perovskite solar cells perform very well during the summer months, even over several years, but decline in efficiency during the darker months.