Sun-Powered Recovery: The Revolutionary Self-Healing Perovskite Solar Cells

Perovskite Solar Cells (PSCs) are seen as a great option for powering cheap space equipment because they're lightweight, cheap, and very efficient.

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A study led by Professor Anita Ho-Baillie from the University of Sydney explored how PSCs handle exposure to space radiation, which is a big challenge for solar tech in space.

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The researchers found that by adjusting a key part of the solar cells, they could regain their full original power after being heated in a vacuum.

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Some types of cells were less resistant to radiation, particularly those that included common materials called Spiro-OMeTAD and LiTFSI.

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The team discovered that space radiation caused a part of LiTFSI to spread, causing defects and loss of efficiency in the solar cells.

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Importantly, cells that did not include Spiro-OMeTAD and LiTFSI didn't have these issues and could regain their full efficiency after being heated in a vacuum.

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This means that these more radiation-resistant cells could be very useful for future solar technology in space.

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Lead author Dr. Shi Tang highlighted how significant this discovery is, saying, 'Thanks to support from Exciton Science, we could study the defects in the cells in detail.'

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This breakthrough could lead to satellites and other space equipment using durable, self-repairing solar panels in the future.

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