A hybrid approach to advance solar technology aims to generate more powerful solar cells by making better use of the solar energy spectrum while increasing efficiency and stabilityarticle " id="return-reference-1" href="https://discovery.kaust.edu.sa/en/article/24818/k2082_pushing-perovskites-further/#reference-1">[1]. 

Researchers are taking this hybrid approach by combining traditional solar cells in tandem with more innovative materials called perovskites. Perovskites are a wide variety of crystalline materials that share specific general structural characteristics based on a combination of three types of chemical ions. They are being recruited into an ever-expanding range of applications, including solar cells, catalysts, sensors and much more.

Leading this research are KAUST’s solar researchers Esma Ugur, Erkan Aydin and Stefaan De Wolf.

“Our strategy uses a specific additive during the deposition of the halide perovskite layers to keep the perovskite top cell of the structure stable over time in the required operational conditions”, Ugur explains. She says that the impressive progress at KAUST has achieved record performance enhancements, expected to bring cheaper and more effective perovskites into widespread use.