A study by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) takes a fresh look at what could become the first step toward a new generation of solar batteries.
The study examines the structure of metal halide perovskites, materials promising to turn light into electric energy, known as photovoltaic conversion. The study relied on the comprehensive expertise and state-of-the-art equipment of ORNL’s Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, or CNMS, to probe how that structure interacts with ions in motion, electric polarization, and other phenomena to generate that energy. Results could point to techniques for designing more efficient, longer-lasting solar-cell batteries and other photovoltaic devices.