Russian researchers developed solar panels for architectural structures

Scientists from IOS UB RAS, MIET, Kurnakov Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry and IPCE RAS collaborated and developed dye-sensitized solar cells (SCSB) based on new promising π-conjugated organic compounds. The batteries allow to manufacture building-integrated solar systems, in which solar panels not only generate additional electricity, but also act as design elements, for example, form the facades of buildings.

The development process can be divided into three parts, which are localized in Russia. The work begins in the IOS Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, where new organic dyes, the basis of the developed elements, are synthesized.

Next, the synthesized dyes and materials are transferred to Moscow, where, on their basis, at the Kurnakov Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry the next important stage of manufacturing is carried out, including the formation of a photoanode and the assembly of batteries.

All the materials used in the assembly are very stable in air. This characteristic makes it possible to manufacture batteries under normal laboratory conditions outside clean rooms and without the use of boxes with an inert atmosphere or vacuum equipment, which greatly reduces the cost.

The final stage of manufacturing is testing and determining the performance characteristics of the assembled solar cells in conditions close to real. This stage is carried out in the laboratories of the Institute of Advanced Materials and Technologies at MIET.

For further development in the field of science and education MIET and IOS UB RAS signed a cooperation agreement. The main direction of cooperation is to unite the efforts in the field of transition from traditional fossil energy sources to alternative ones, to develop and research of new photoactive materials, as well as devices based on them.

The researchers are now planning to integrate the technology for forming structured photoactive semiconductor coatings developed at the AMT Institute into the assembly process. Also they decided to continue their work aimed at increasing the functional area of the developed batteries. During the last year, its size has already been increased by 100 times.

The results of the joint project have already been published, the last publication was made in the Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics.