Multi-Dimensional Material Engineering for High-Performance Perovskite Solar Cells

Faculty Development Competitive Research Grant Program (General) 2024-2026

This project aims to enhance the performance, in particular the stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) through material and device engineering. Our strategies range from optimizing individual functional materials, to improving the quality of material interfaces within the entire PSC device. The stability performance of PSCs under both indoor and outdoor operation are studied via implementing a series of standard testing protocols. The overarching purpose of this project is to provide a platform for a systematical study of the degradation mechanisms of PSCs and establishment of the potential techniques to overcome one of the most important existing challenges (i.e. device stability) towards future commercialization. This project will focus on devices based on both organic cations containing perovskite and all-inorganic perovskite materials in the form of bulk thin films as well as nanocrystals (quantum dots). Different dimensional materials (from 0D to 3D) will be synthesized and used as the effective functional materials incorporated with PSCs for enhancing the device performance. Our interdisciplinary team of physicists, chemists, and material scientists aims to build PSCs that meet requirements for practical applications, promoting the development of cost-effective, selfsustainable, efficient, and reliable electronic products integrated with PSCs. This project provides opportunities to train undergraduate and graduate students at Nazarbayev University and aligns with the mission of the Faculty- Development Competitive Research Gants to support interdisciplinary research works.