Toward Rollable Printed Perovskite Solar Cells for Deployment in Low-Earth Orbit Space Applications
Dechan Angmo, Shiqin Yan, Daniel Liang, Andrew D. Scully, Anthony S. R. Chesman, Michael Kellam, Noel W. Duffy, Nick Carter, Regine Chantler, Cherry Chen, Mei Gao
Abstract
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide The thin physical profile of perovskite-based solar cells (PSCs) fabricated on flexible substrates provides the prospect of a disruptive increase in specific power (power-to-mass ratio), an important figure-of-merit for solar cells to be used in space applications. In contrast to recent reports on space applications of PSCs which focus on rigid glass-based devices, in this work we investigate the suitability of flexible PSCs for low-earth orbit (LEO) applications, where the perovskite layer in the PSCs was prepared using either a Ruddlesden–Popper precursor composition (BA 2 MA 3 Pb 4 I 13; BA = butylammonium, MA = methylammonium) or a mixed-cation precursor composition (Cs 0.05 FA 0.81 MA 0.14 Pb 2.55 Br 0.45; FA = formamidinium). The flexible PSC devices display a tolerance to high-energy proton (14 MeV) and electron (>1 MeV) radiation comparable with, or superior to, equivalent glass-based PSC devices. The photovoltaic performance of the PSCs is found to be significantly less dependent on angle-of-incidence than GaAs-based triple-junction solar cells commonly used for space applications. Results from a preliminary test of the robustness of the perovskite film when subjected to LEO-like thermal environments are also reported. In addition, a unique deployment concept integrating printed flexible solar cells with titanium–nickel based shape memory alloy ribbons is presented for thermally actuated deployment of flexible solar cells from a rolled state.