Perovskite Solar Cells for Extreme Environments: Tailoring Material Design and Exploring New Opportunities.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Renewable Energy
• Environmental Engineering

Background:

• Stable power is critical in remote, extreme environments where conventional sources fail.
• Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) offer advantages like light weight, flexibility, and tunable bandgaps.
• Historically, PSCs suffered from instability in harsh conditions, limiting their deployment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the potential of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) for power generation in extreme environments.
• To analyze environmental threats and stressors in diverse extreme settings (space, underwater, desert, polar).
• To examine technological advancements enhancing PSC stability and feasibility.

Main Methods:

• Categorization of environmental threats across different extreme regions.
• Analysis of specific stressors (heat, humidity, radiation) impacting PSCs.
• Review of recent innovations in PSC interface passivation, encapsulation, and self-healing materials.

Main Results:

• PSCs demonstrate potential for stable operation under low-irradiance conditions.
• Technological improvements have significantly boosted PSC long-term stability.
• PSCs are suitable for integration into mobile and aerial systems for remote power.

Conclusions:

• Enhanced PSC stability overcomes previous limitations for extreme environment applications.
• Further research is needed to address remaining challenges for widespread implementation.
• PSCs represent a promising future for independent power in harsh, off-grid locations.