Launch successful Potsdam physicists deploy first perovskite tandems in orbit

Launch successful Potsdam physicists deploy first perovskite tandems in orbit
by Robert Schreiber
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Oct 16, 2024

July 9, 2024, marked a significant milestone for Felix Lang and his research team at the University of Potsdam with the maiden flight of the new Ariane 6 rocket, launched from the Guiana Space Centre by the European Space Agency (ESA). Among the payloads was a satellite carrying an experiment featuring Lang's solar cell technology, which successfully deployed one hour and six minutes post-launch. "The solar cells have survived launch and started to produce energy, even without perfect alignment to the sun," Lang noted, celebrating the achievement alongside his junior research group under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Dieter Neher. The project receives support through a Freigeist-Fellowship from the Volkswagen Foundation.

The experiment aboard the satellite features Perovskite/CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide) and Perovskite/Silicon Tandem Solar Cells. These cells are designed to maximize energy capture by using perovskite to absorb blue-green light while CIGS or silicon materials absorb red-infrared wavelengths. "This approach allows for the highest power conversion efficiencies, which is crucial for powering future satellites, space stations, or spacecraft," Lang explained. Over the next few years, the team will evaluate the solar cells' performance to gain insights into their stability and degradation in the space environment.

The endeavor is the result of collaborative efforts involving Felix Lang, his Ph.D. student Sercan Ozen, and several partners: L. Zimmerman from Prof. S. Albrecht's group at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), G. Farias and Dr. I. Kafedjiska from Dr. C. Kaufmann's team at the Competence Centre Photovoltaics (PVComB), and R. Kothandaraman from Dr. F. Fu's group at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa). The satellite, an On-Orbit Verification Cube (OOV-Cube), was engineered for technology demonstration by the Chair of Prof. E. Stoll at the Technical University of Berlin, in collaboration with Dr. W. Frese from Rapid Cubes GmbH.

The mission's success would represent a significant advancement in using perovskite solar cells for space-based power generation. Lang and his team are concentrating on assessing the durability of the perovskite single and tandem solar cells in the challenging conditions of space, including intense radiation and extreme temperature variations. "We hope that perovskites, which are relatively soft semiconductors, can self-heal after potential damage and thereby outperform traditional technologies," Lang concluded.

Research Report:Radiation Tolerant Electronics with Soft Semiconductors: The ROSI Group at Uni Potsdam