Organic solvent free PbI2 recycling from perovskite solar cells using hot water

Water-Based Recycling Process of FTO/SnO2 Substrate for Sustainable Perovskite Solar Cell Technology

Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate is an important and expensive component in perovskite solar cells (PSCs), which accounts for up to 40 % of a typical PSC raw material cost. In this study, we investigated the recyclability of SnO2/FTO in PSCs by washing the spent PSCs using different solvent such as dimethylformamide (DMF), dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), acetone, water, and acetone/water mixture. Characterisation of properties of the SnO2/FTO substrates recovered from the PSC show the surface wettability of SnO2/FTO is largely unchanged with water washing while a higher hydrophobicity is obtained with organic solvent washing. Comparison of electronic properties of the SnO2/FTO substrate shows a downward shift of the conduction band by 180 meV with water washing, creating favourable energy alignment with adjacent perovskite for efficient interfacial charge injection. Consequently, PSCs using the water-based recycled SnO2/FTO substrates produced a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.33 % which is comparable to the device using fresh SnO2/FTO substrate (PCE=19.85 %). Furthermore, we demonstrated that the water washing process could retain property of SnO2/FTO substrate for decent PSC performance up to four recycling cycles. This study opens new avenues towards recycling of valuable FTO substrates in PSCs for increased sustainability and cost-effectiveness.

Ecofriendly Solution Processing of Perovskite Solar Cells Using Water

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) represent a promising avenue for producing cost-effective solar energy by harnessing sunlight, but challenges persist in their solution processing, which uses a large amount of organic solvent for existing PSC technology. The use of water as a solvent offers an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional solvents, aligning with the global drive for sustainable renewable energy technologies. This Perspective provides an overview of research in the area of PSC fabrication using water as a solvent, highlighting key advancements in the synthesis process. We delve into the kinetics of crystallization and the physical-chemical transformations of perovskite materials in water-based solution processing. Key challenges of the scalability of water-based solution processing for PSC fabrication are discussed. The Perspective sheds light on the broader potential for enhancing the ecofriendliness of perovskite solar cell technologies.

Comprehensive review of the global trends and future perspectives for recycling of decommissioned photovoltaic panels

With the rapid deployment of renewable energy using photovoltaic (PV) panels, the sustainable management of decommissioned PV modules has become challenging. Decommissioned modules contain heavy metals, such as copper, cadmium, and lead, and hazardous polymer substances, such as ethylene vinyl acetate, polyethylene terephthalate, and polyvinylidene fluoride, which can pose a serious threat to the environment if disposed in a landfill. In addition, the low concentration value of critical metals, such as silver, indium, and tellurium, can also be lost. In this context, recycling decommissioned PV panels can be useful to resource recovery of valuable metals while lowering environmental stress. However, the lower share of PV modules and the prolonged life of 25-30 years compared to other waste volumes (e.g., electronic waste) hinder the progress in this direction. In contrast, reaching the end-of-life of the deployed first-generation PV panels is creating attraction toward the recycling of decommissioned modules. Henceforth, exploring the commercial viability of PV recycling necessitates a review of the methodologies that have been investigated on a laboratory scale and have the potential to be up-scaled. In this review, the recent trends in various PV-recycling steps, including frame disassembly, delamination, metal extraction, and recovery, are underlined while the associated problems are determined to suggest the required improvements in future technology. Furthermore, the environmental and economic feasibility of a few techniques are discussed to establish the viability of the recycling process. This review contributes to formulating PV waste management strategies and providing future research directions.

Recent progress in organic waste recycling materials for solar cell applications

Organic waste-derived solar cells (OWSC) are a classification of third-generation photovoltaic cells in which one or more constituents are fabricated from organic waste material. They are an inspirational complement to the conventional third-generation solar cell with the potential of revolutionizing our future approach to solar cell manufacture. This article provides a study and summary of solar cells that fall under the category of OWSC. OWSC own their merit to low cost of manufacturing and environmental friendliness. This review article reveals different organic waste raw materials, preparation-to-assembly methodologies, and novel approaches to solar cell manufacturing. Ideas for the optimization of the performance of OWSC are presented. The assembly configurations and photovoltaic parameters of reported OWSC are compared in detail. An overview of the trends in the research regarding OWSC in the past decade is given. Also, the advantages and disadvantages of the different solar cell technologies are discussed, and possible trends are proposed. Industrial organic waste raw materials such as paper, coal, and plastics are among the least explored and yet most attractive for solar cell fabrication. The power conversion efficiencies for the cited works are mentioned while emphasizing the products and functions of the organic waste raw materials used.

Prospects for Tin-Containing Halide Perovskite Photovoltaics

Tin-containing metal halide perovskites have enormous potential as photovoltaics, both in narrow band gap mixed tin-lead materials for all-perovskite tandems and for lead-free perovskites. The introduction of Sn(II), however, has significant effects on the solution chemistry, crystallization, defect states, and other material properties in halide perovskites. In this perspective, we summarize the main hurdles for tin-containing perovskites and highlight successful attempts made by the community to overcome them. We discuss important research directions for the development of these materials and propose some approaches to achieve a unified understanding of Sn incorporation. We particularly focus on the discussion of charge carrier dynamics and nonradiative losses at the interfaces between perovskite and charge extraction layers in p-i-n cells. We hope these insights will aid the community to accelerate the development of high-performance, stable single-junction tin-containing perovskite solar cells and all-perovskite tandems.