Atomic-level structure of emerging photovoltaics: in situ solid-state NMR of halide perovskite solar cells

Atomic-level structure of emerging photovoltaics: in situ solid-state NMR of halide perovskite solar cells

Halide perovskites have recently been discovered as a new class of material for solar cells and light emission. The efficiency of perovskite-based photovoltaics increased from 4% to over 25% in just a decade, and they are now making their way onto the market. Unlike silicon solar cells, they can be manufactured at room temperature, are remarkably lightweight and semi-transparent, finding potential applications in windows, wearable electronics and aircraft. However, their key challenge is their limited stability and sensitivity to environmental factors: humidity, oxygen, long-term light exposure. Overcoming these challenges requires understanding of the materials and how they degrade at the atomic level. Solid-state NMR is uniquely placed to answer these questions.

The Kubicki Group (https://kubickilab.wordpress.com/) at the University of Birmingham is pioneering atomic-level structure studies of these new hybrid materials.

Your project will explore a largely uncharted territory in materials chemistry and solar cell research. You will study solar cells and solar cell materials using solid-state NMR to understand how they change at the atomic level. You will have the opportunity to learn a large library of other complementary techniques (X-ray diffraction, optical spectroscopies), as well as materials synthetic (mechanochemistry).

You will use state-of-the-art solid-state NMR equipment and collaborate with experts in new materials discovery, solar cell chemistry and atomic-level structure determination. Solid-state NMR is unique because it allows you to study the atomic-level structure of materials in ways that no other experimental technique can access. Mechanochemistry is exciting because it is by far the most sustainable way of making materials – it has 100% atom efficiency, does not require solvents (no waste!) and many believe it is the future of chemical manufacturing.

You will also do experiments in a number of large-scale UK research facilities, such as Diamond and the UK High-Field Solid-State NMR Facility – this will be a great opportunity for you to see how such large facilities operate. The experience gained in our group will be useful to you on many levels: you will learn how to do academic research, work with leading academics, learn how to deliver impactful talks, write academic papers. It will be an opportunity for you to interact with our interdisciplinary network of collaborators worldwide, and become a leader yourself.

If you are passionate about NMR spectroscopy and materials chemistry, and especially if you are considering an academic career in the future, this may be the right opportunity for you.

Relevant articles

Understanding new solar cells at the atomic level:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06006-7

https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.abl4890

Speciation of dopants in metal halide perovskites:

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/jacs.7b07223

Review of the strategies we developed to study halide perovskites with solid-state NMR:

https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/items/4bf618c2-f82c-40c3-bdae-b5b290515f49

Application process

Please contact Dr Dominik J. Kubicki by email ([Email Address Removed]) in the first instance with a copy of your CV and a covering letter outlining your research interests.

The School of Chemistry is keen to achieve a gender and diversity balance across the School and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. The School holds an Athena SWAN Bronze Award, which recognises its work in promoting women’s careers in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEM) in higher education.