A scientific article from the Δ3P Bridge Discovery project has just been published in the prestigious journal Joule!
Perovskite solar cells promise a future of ultra-thin, lightweight, and affordable solar panels, but until now, they have struggled to withstand the sun’s heat and light. In our newly published Joule paper (DOI: 10.1016/j.joule.2025.101972), we show that by adding just a trace of a small organic additive (the TEMPO molecule) and applying a brief infrared flash, we can heal hidden microscopic seams. For the manufactured solar cells, this results in efficiencies above 20 % that remain stable for months under real-world conditions, all achieved with a solvent-free, roll-to-roll process ready for industrial manufacturing.
Behind the scenes, iCoSys developed advanced image-processing tools based on Shannon Entropy to verify the microscopic uniformity of the films. Shannon Entropy measures the level of disorder in an image, providing a clear metric for how homogeneous the film’s structure is. This analysis confirms that our rapid pulse-healing step consistently produces high-quality TEMPO-treated films.
This work marks a key milestone from the Δ3P Bridge Discovery project, where EPFL and partners iCoSys, SeSi, iSIS, and iPrint (HEIA-FR) have joined forces to automate and optimize solar-cell fabrication from lab to fab. Our Automated Photonic-Pulses Processing (Δ3P) platform lays the groundwork for integrating artificial intelligence and in-depth data analysis at every stage of production.
We’re continuing to develop our next-generation smart manufacturing system! So stay tuned for more exciting developments as we work toward a future of ultra-efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable solar energy.