MSE Talk with Nitin Padture

Speaker: Nitin Padture, Brown University

Faculty Host: Soumendra Basu

Student Host: Jillian Rix

Title: The Promise of Halide Perovskite Solar Photovoltaics

Abstract: Thin-film perovskite solar cells (PSCs), where the record efficiency has rocketed from under 4% to near 26% (comparable to silicon solar cells) in just twelve years, offer unprecedented promise of low-cost, high-efficiency renewable electricity generation. Metal halide perovskite (MHP) materials at the heart of PSCs have unique crystal structures, which include rotating organic cations inside inorganic cages, imparting them with desirable optical, electronic, and defect-tolerance properties. To exploit these properties for PSCs application, the reliable deposition of high-quality OIHP thin films over large areas is critically important. The microstructures, grain-boundary networks, and interfaces in the resulting polycrystalline MHP thin films are equally important as they control the PSC performance, operational-stability, and mechanical reliability. Fundamental phenomena pertaining to synthesis, microstructural evolution, and interfacial functionalization involved in the processing of MHP thin films for PSCs will be discussed with specific examples. In addition, the unique mechanical behavior of halide perovskites, and its implication on the reliability of PSCs, will be discussed. The overall goal of our research is to have deterministic control over the scalable processing of tailored MHP thin films with desired microstructures, grain-boundary networks, and interfaces for high-performance and durable PSCs of the future.

Bio: Nitin P. Padture is the Otis E. Randall University Professor in the School of Engineering at Brown University, and most recently he served as Director of Brown’s Institute for Molecular and Nanoscale Innovation for eight years. He was at the Ohio State University for seven years, where he was founding Director of an NSF-funded MRSEC, before moving to Brown in 2012. Padture's research interests are in advanced ceramics and nanomaterials/devices. An AAAS Fellow, Padture has received several awards, including IIT-Bombay Distinguished Alumnus Award, and Brown University Presidential Faculty Award. He is Editor of Acta Materialia and Scripta Materialia.