RAISE: CET: Understanding chemical and mechanical interactions and their enviro-economic implications in the recovery, reuse, and recycling of halide perovskite solar cells

This Research Advanced by Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering (RAISE) award is made in response to Dear Colleague Letter 23-109, as part of the NSF-wide Clean Energy Technology initiative. The global photovoltaic industry is expected to surpass $300 billion of new investment by 2030. The U.S. is actively pursuing solar manufacturing for advanced technologies and perovskite solar cells are one of the most promising candidates to achieve large scale deployment at low capital expenditures.

While the progress has been phenomenal and commercialization efforts are currently underway, there is an opportunity to design and fabricate perovskite solar cell materials that are economically feasible and environmentally sustainable in the end-of-life. In this project, the team will investigate how to recover, reuse, and recycle the components of metal halide perovskite (MHPs) from all layers of the device.

Without a clear understanding of the fundamental chemo-mechanical interactions and their implications to cost and environment of end-of-life phase, manufacturers will not be able to design devices that are truly sustainable from cradle-to-grave. Therefore, the primary objective of this project is to develop recyclable perovskite solar cells with a minimal environmental impact and low production costs.

This research program holds significance for society as it establishes a framework for the recovery and recycling of solar cell materials, enabling large-scale deployment of these cost-effective technologies in an environmentally sustainable manner. Furthermore, it contributes to the education and training of the next generation of industry professionals.

The focus of this RAISE project is to understand fundamental aspects of interfaces that will enable the development perovskite solar cells that can be recycled at the lowest economic and environmental cost. Chemical and mechanical interfacial interactions will drive the enviro-economic analysis to make an interdisciplinary RAISE program. The knowledge imparted from studying these interfaces can be used to guide the recycling process of these materials.

The team will converge to develop the recycling of the devices with different materials and architectures, guided by fundamental questions and hypotheses. These questions include: 1) What are the chemical reactions that occur at interfaces, and can we prevent or reverse them? 2) How can we selectively remove different layers through solvent engineering? 3) How does interfacial chemistry affect layer delamination, and can we control them for improvements in recyclability? 4) What are the processing conditions (including chemical and mechanical) that will enable the least environmental impact and lowest cost?

The team comprises experts in thin film fabrication, characterization, device design, fabrication, testing, mechanical analysis, and the assessment of the environmental and economic impact of solar cells. The team will investigate the recyclability and environmental consequences of different cell layers. Critical challenges in this field include: (i) Understanding the chemical and mechanical behaviors at interfaces in perovskite solar cells during device testing under electrical bias. (ii) Identifying environmentally friendly materials for recycling. (iii) Providing fundamental science training to students, preparing them for careers in the solar cell industry. This project will enable materials design with a focus on sustainability.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.