Halide perovskite solar cells are enticing and exciting energy researchers around the globe with their simple fabrication and extremely high performance. Nevertheless, stability problems have plagued this technology from its outset. It appears that the envisioned commercial success of these solar cells will either be fulfilled or be frustrated based on whether or not they can meet the rigorous stability thresholds required for commercial solar cells. This seminar will offer some perspectives on the ongoing scientific and engineering challenges of halide perovskite solar cell stability, as well as how an understanding of specific degradation mechanisms at the material level can, and have, informed the design of more stable cells and modules. Specifically, how material composition can influence degradation mechanisms as well as the important role that hetero-interfaces play in device-level stability will be highlighted.

Biography

Dr. Jeffrey A. Christians (’15) is an Assistant Professor of Engineering at Hope College in Holland, Michigan where he teaches and has an active research program with undergraduates focusing on halide perovskite materials and their applications in energy problems. Prior to joining Hope, Jeff was an EERE postdoctoral fellow at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. Jeff obtained his Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 2015 under the supervision of Dr. Prashant V. Kamat, for which he was awarded the Eli and Helen Shaheen Graduate School Award in Engineering and a 2015 Patrick and Jana Eilers Graduate Student Fellowship for Energy Related Research from the Center for Sustainable Energy at Notre Dame (ND Energy). 

Hosted by Prof. Prashant V. Kamat in cooperation with ND Energy