Guwahati: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati have developed a new semiconductor technology based on hybrid perovskite materials that could significantly improve the performance of next-generation solar cells and advanced memory devices used in artificial intelligence and neuromorphic computing.
The research team, led by Prof. Parameswar K. Iyer from the Department of Chemistry and the Centre for Nanotechnology, has developed a molecular interface engineering approach that addresses some of the key challenges limiting the commercial deployment of perovskite-based devices.
Perovskites are a class of semiconductor materials known for their ability to efficiently absorb sunlight and convert it into electricity.
They have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional silicon-based solar cells due to their lower production costs and high energy-conversion potential.
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However, perovskite solar cells often suffer from performance losses caused by surface defects, chemical reactions at interfaces, and instability under environmental conditions such as heat, moisture and oxygen exposure.
Similar challenges also affect perovskite-based memory devices, where uncontrolled ion movement and interfacial instability can lead to unreliable performance.
To overcome these issues, the IIT Guwahati team designed two donor-acceptor organic molecules that are deposited as ultra-thin layers between the charge transport layer and the perovskite layer.
According to the researchers, these molecules help regulate charge movement, reduce defects and improve the overall efficiency and stability of the devices.
Using this approach, the team achieved a solar cell efficiency of 25.73 per cent, meaning nearly one-quarter of incident sunlight could be converted into electricity.
The researchers also reported that the devices retained around 90 per cent of their original performance after prolonged storage under ambient conditions and approximately 75 per cent under continuous thermal and light stress.
Beyond solar energy applications, the researchers demonstrated that the same perovskite material could be used in memristor devices, a type of non-volatile memory considered crucial for future artificial intelligence hardware and neuromorphic computing systems that mimic the functioning of the human brain.
The developed memory devices exhibited stable low-power switching, multistate memory behaviour and reliable endurance, making them suitable for next-generation computing architectures.
The researchers also found that the devices could support true random number generation, a feature important for cryptographic applications and secure computing systems.
Speaking about the significance of the work, Prof. Iyer said the technology demonstrates the potential of perovskite-based semiconductors to support both efficient solar energy conversion and advanced memory applications on a common material platform.
“This work demonstrates the potential of perovskite-based semiconductor technologies for next-generation solar cells and memory devices.
The synthesized novel organic molecules enable improved interfacial engineering for highly efficient and stable solar energy conversion, while the same material platform exhibits reliable resistive switching for advanced memory and neuromorphic computing applications,” he said.
According to the researchers, the technology could eventually enable integrated systems capable of simultaneously harvesting energy, storing information and supporting intelligent computing functions.
The findings have resulted in multiple patent filings related to perovskite solar cell and memory technologies. The work has also been published in two separate papers in the international journal Advanced Functional Materials.
The research was carried out by a team including Ramkrishna Das Adhikari, Himangshu Baishya, Mizanur Alam, Manab Kalita, Mayur Jagdishbhai Patel, Deepak Yadav, Diganta Bhattacharyya and Priyam Ghosh, in collaboration with Swastik Laha and Dr Kalishankar Bhattacharyya.
Funded by the Department of Science and Technology under the Integrated Clean Energy Material Acceleration Platform on Materials (IC-MAP), the project is now moving towards large-scale applications.
The team said it has already achieved solar cell efficiencies exceeding 26 per cent in ongoing experiments and is working with industry partners to scale up fabrication for larger-area and flexible devices.
Researchers believe the technology could find applications in flexible electronics, energy-efficient computing systems, and even space technologies, where lightweight and durable energy-conversion devices are critical for satellites and future space missions.
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