BOLLA · Bandgap tunable perovskites for Organic poLLutAnts removal in water
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2021-10-01 → 2023-09-30
- EU contribution
- €171,473
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Bandgap tunable perovskites for Organic poLLutAnts removal in water
The action BOLLA is a study of fundamental physics with strong technological relevance aimed at investigating new strategies to modulate the bandgap of metal halide perovskite (MHP) semiconductors, ensuring long term stability and efficiencies. The final objective of the project is to exploit such bandgap tunability to engineer a flexible solar driven electrochemical water purification system using only earth-abundant and inexpensive materials and fabrication methods that are compatible with large-scale large-volume production, encompassing several fields of chemistry, physics, materials science and engineering. Organic pollutants in water represent a serious concern because they cannot be efficiently eliminated in conventional wastewater systems. Electrochemical oxidation is a viable alternative approach which, however, requires high power inputs to drive the reactions. Solar energy could be used instead. Among the available new technologies in the photovoltaic sector, MHP semiconductors are by far the most promising, thanks to their tunable optoelectronic properties and high efficiency. In this sense, the possibility of tuning the semiconductor bandgap is a fundamental property to customize and target the right voltage to activate catalytic processes. The main objectives of the project are: synthesizing photochemically and thermally stable MHP thin films, engineering printable carbon based MHP solar cells, designing an electrochemical system for the oxidation of organic pollutants in water and integrating the developed MHP solar cells with the working electrodes to drive the electrochemical reactions.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
BOLLA aims to modulate the bandgap of halide perovskites to obtain versatile solar cells with stable power outputs. The ultimate goal will be coupling such devices with an electrochemical system to engineer an inexpensive, solar driven photo-oxidation water purification system. It will represent a breakthrough in the field of (i) solid-state physics of halide perovskites, shining light on instability mechanisms driven by defects in Sn-containing materials, (ii) photovoltaic, developing stable commercial tunable solar cells, and (iii) water treatment, serving as point-of-use system to obtain safe drinking water free of harmful organic pollutants. The project will start from the design and synthesis of a suitable solution-processed Sn-Pb hybrid perovskite material, whose chemical composition will be tweaked to obtain both narrow and wide bandgap structures with optimal charge transport properties and stability. The fundamental chemistry of defects and the related optoelectronic mechanisms will be investigated as primary source of instability. The engineered material will be integrated in fully-printable, metal-free architectures using only methods compatible with large scale production. Finally, individual wide and narrow bandgap solar cells and series-connected configurations will be combined with an electrochemical system to provide the necessary power to maximize the efficiency in degrading organic pollutants in wastewater. Beyond the main target, the project will proceed through the realization of intermediate and high impact targets, which include advanced photophysical characterization of Sn-Pb hybrid perovskites and fabrication of fully-printable carbon based Sn-Pb devices. This multidisciplinary project will be carried out at the Italian Institute of Technology (Milan) under the supervision of Dr. Petrozza and complemented with Secondments in the Technical Research Centre of Finland VTT (Espoo) and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin HZB (Berlin).
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- FONDAZIONE ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIA · GenovaCoordinatorItaly
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union