In a world where energy demand is growing exponentially, the development of technologies that optimally utilize renewable resources is an urgent need.
In this context a team of researchers from Lehigh Universityin Pennsylvania (United States), has made a revolutionary advance: the creation of a quantum material so small that it defies the atomic scale, with an unprecedented efficiency of 190% in converting solar energy.
This finding, published in the prestigious journal Scientific progressredefines the boundaries of photovoltaic technology and promises a new generation of solar panels capable of transforming the way the world generates and uses energy.
Beyond the Shockley-Queisser limit
Since 1961, the theoretical efficiency limit established by William Shockley and Hans Queisser has been a challenging barrier to converting sunlight into electricity.
This limit, set at 33.7% for silicon-based materialsrepresents the maximum amount of solar energy that can be converted into electrical energy. Despite the progress made with materials such as perovskite and multi-layer combinations, significantly exceeding this standard has been a challenge until now.
The new quantum material developed by Lehigh researchers breaks this barrier by achieving an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of up to 190%. In traditional solar cells, the maximum EQE is 100%, meaning each absorbed photon generates one electron.
However, Quantum material not only succeeds in capturing more photonsbut also generates multiple electrons from high-energy photons, a phenomenon known as Multiple Exciton Generation (MEG).
The secret of quantum material
The success of this material is attributed to its ‘intermediate band states’, energy levels that allow the capture of photons that would normally be lost through reflection or as heat in conventional solar cells. In addition, it has the ability to absorb light efficiently both in the visible and infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum it gives a significant advantage.
This material, which acts as an active layer in solar cells, achieves an average photovoltaic absorption of 80%, an unprecedented advance in the field of solar energy. The prototype developed by the team also showed that adjusting the thickness of this layer makes it possible to optimize its optical activity and further improve EQE at key wavelengths, between 600 and 1,200 nanometers.
Quantum design: smaller than an atom
The quantum nature of the material That’s what makes it so revolutionary. This material is designed at the nanoscale, even smaller than an atom, and uses principles of quantum mechanics to maximize energy conversion efficiency.
These properties arise from the specific arrangement of the atoms and electrons, which create ideal conditions for interaction with sunlight.
Its impact on the future of solar energy
The development of this quantum material marks a milestone in the search for sustainable energy sources. Although its commercialization still requires more research and testing, the techniques used for its production are already quite advanced, which portends a promising future.
We think one of the most important advantages of this material is:
- Maximizing efficiency: Exceeding the Shockley-Queisser limit allows more electricity to be produced without increasing the number of solar panels installed.
- Sustainability: Greater efficiency reduces dependence on traditional materials such as silicon, whose extraction and production processes are highly polluting.
- Flexibility– The ability to adjust the thickness of the material to optimize performance facilitates its integration into different solar cell designs.
As we can see, this progress represents a victory not only for science and technology, but also for humanity as a whole, opening up new possibilities for a cleaner and more sustainable future.