External quantum efficiency (EQE) is a measure of solar panel efficiency that exceeds the theoretical Shockley-Queisser limit for silicon materials and takes the field of quantum materials for photovoltaics to the next level.
Such a high coefficient of performance (COP) of the material is due to the presence of special “intermediate conduction zones”. These specific energy levels in the material’s electronic structure are ideal for converting solar energy.
Interband energy levels fall within the optimal energy band gaps (energy ranges within which a material effectively absorbs sunlight and produces charge carriers) of approximately 0.78 and 1.26 electron volts.
Additionally, the material exhibits particularly high light absorption rates in the infrared and visible regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
To create the new material, the researchers used “van der Waals voids,” which are atomically small spaces between layers of two-dimensional materials. These cavities can accommodate molecules or ions, and materials scientists often use them to add (“interleave”) other elements to change the material’s properties.
To develop their new material, the scientists placed monovalent copper atoms between layers of a two-dimensional material composed of germanium selenide (GeSe) and tin sulfide (SnS).
Ekuma, an expert in computational condensed matter physics, developed the prototype as a proof of concept after computer simulations of the system showed it to be theoretically promising.
While integrating the new material into existing solar energy systems will require further research and development, Ekuma notes that the experimental methodology used to create these materials is already at a high level. Scientists have finally mastered a method for precisely packing atoms, ions, and molecules into materials.
Source: Ferra
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