First Graphene has reported the addition of graphene to perovskite solar cells (PSC) can improve efficiency to up to 30.6% and reduce production costs by up to 80%.
The company has partnered with Halocell Energy and Queensland University of Technology to develop graphene-enhanced PSCs through the addition of its PureGRAPH novel functionalized graphene. A three-year AU$2.03 million grant under the federal government’s Co-operative Research Centers Projects (CRC-P) program is funding the research and development agreement, which commenced in 2023.
PureGRAPH is compatible with roll-to-roll (R2R) dispersion technology, which eliminates traditional high conductor and high-cost materials such as gold and silver from PSCs. R2R is the cheapest PSC manufacturing method, introducing cost and volume efficiencies which give Halocell’s cells a market advantage against competitors.
First Graphene managing director, Michael Bell, said the company was pleased with the progress that Halocell was making in applying PureGRAPH to PSC development. “Halocell’s ambient module product line has been commercially available since September, meaning our partnership is generating competitive Australian innovation with global reach,” he said. “Production of these cells fits with our decarbonisation mantra when applying graphene to materials, which is proven to improve product performance, extend life and dramatically lower production costs to create a highly-competitive product available to market.”
Halocell has identified 44 devices across the IoT (Internet of Things), electronics, space, aviation and full sun sectors that could potentially benefit from PSC technology, and is in the process of seeking capital to expand the capacity of its New South Wales plant through modular expansion of R2R production lines and boosting operating capability, targeting the annual manufacture of as many as 60 million PSC units.
