Physics
Prof. Nitin Padture
Brown University, USA
Abstract
Solution-processed thin-film perovskite solar cells (PSCs), where the record efficiency has rocketed from ~4% to ~23% — comparable to commercial silicon-based solar cells — in just nine years, offer unprecedented promise of low-cost, high-efficiency renewable electricity generation. Organic-inorganic halide perovskite (OIHP) materials at the heart of PSCs have unique structures, which entail rotating organic cations inside inorganic cages, imparting them with desirable optical and electronic properties. To exploit these properties for PSCs application, the reliable deposition of high-quality OIHP thin films over large areas is critically important. The microstructures and grain-boundary networks in the resulting polycrystalline OIHP thin films are equally important as they control the PSC performance and stability. Fundamental phenomena pertaining to synthesis, crystallization, coarsening, and microstructural evolution involved in the processing of OIHP thin films for PSCs will be discussed with specific examples. Additionally, the discovery of Pb-free, Ti-based all-inorganic halide perovskites will be presented, together with the demonstration of viable PSCs based on these new halide perovskites. The overall goal of our research is to have deterministic control over scalable processing of tailored halide perovskite thin films with desired compositions, microstructures, and grain-boundary networks for large-area, high-efficiency, and stable PSCs.
Nitin P. Padture is the Otis E. Randall University Professor in the School of Engineering, and Director of the Institute for Molecular and Nanoscale Innovation, at Brown University — an Ivy League university established in 1764. Padture’s research and teaching interests are in the broad areas of synthesis/processing, characterization, and properties/performance of advanced ceramics and nanomaterials used in applications ranging from jet engines to computer chips to solar cells. He has over 200 publications to his credit, which have been cited over 16,000 times (h-Index 67), and he has presented over 220 invited/keynote/plenary talks in the US and abroad. A Fellow of the American Ceramic Society, Padture has received that society's Roland B. Snow, Robert L. Coble, and Richard M. Fulrath awards. He is also a recipient of the U.S. Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, and he is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Recently he was honored by his B.Tech. (1985) alma mater, Indian Institute of Technology - Bombay, with the Distinguished Alumnus Award. Padture is Editor of the international journals Acta Materialia and Scripta Materialia.
Padture is currently on sabbatical at IISER – Pune (hosted by Prof. S.B. Ogale). Having spent much of his childhood in Pune, Padture has fond memories of the city and deep roots.
