The inclusion of lead in some perovskite solar cells poses potential environmental contamination and toxicity issues that are eliminated by reliance on antimony as a substitute material. The design developed by researchers from the University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy, also eschews the use of tin, which can prove unstable in photovoltaic applications.

Current density−voltage curves for the module. Source: ACS Energy Letters (2024). DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.3c02409

The antimony-based perovskite-inspired material described in ACS Energy Letters was prepared as the light absorber with two cations added to the precursor mixture. An 81% gain in power conversion efficiency was documented compared to conventional cesium-only counterparts. Long-term stability was enhanced by 60%, losing only 10% after about 1,800 hours of aging in air.

Excellent thermal stability at 85° C also supported laser patterning processes in air, which is essential for the scalable manufacturing of photovoltaic modules. This process serves to lower production costs and simplify solar cell assembly.