Robots develop new semiconductor materials in tests that are 10 times faster & greener

Subject: Science and technology

Section: Awareness in field of IT

Context:

Scientists have created a robot that can do material testing in a more efficient and sustainable manner, according to a new report published in the journal Matter.

Details:

RoboMapper, the new technology, has already identified perovskite materials used in solar cells that have more stability and efficiency.
RoboMapper allows them to conduct materials testing more quickly, while also reducing both cost and energy overhead.
The researchers gave the robot a set of materials and asked it to develop alloys with the same. It came up with 150 different compositions and ran various tests on them to understand the following things:’
- Whether it had the crystalline structure of a perovskite
- Whether it had a desirable set of optical characteristics, known as the band gap
- Whether it was stable when exposed to intense light
The data was used to build a computational model “that identified a specific alloy composition that it predicted would have the best combination of desired attributes”.
Advantages:
- The material they identified using RoboMapper also turned out to be more efficient at converting light into electricity in solar cell devices.
- The new, more sustainable method is nearly 10 times faster than previous automated techniques.
- The process also reduced greenhouse gas emissions of the characterisation process by 10 times.

What is a perovskite?

Perovskite is a calcium titanium oxide mineral composed of calcium titanate (chemical formula CaTiO3).
A large number of different elements can be combined together to form perovskite structures.
Perovskite crystals are found today in ultrasound machines, memory chips, and now – solar cells.
The mineral was discovered in the Ural Mountains of Russia by Gustav Rose in 1839.
Perovskite occurs as small anhedral to subhedral crystals filling interstices between the rock-forming silicates. Perovskite is a common mineral in the Ca-Al-rich inclusions found in some chondritic meteorites.
In stars and brown dwarfs the formation of perovskite grains is responsible for the depletion of titanium oxide in the photosphere.
Utility:
- It can absorb sunlight better than silicon, which means the cells can be lighter.
Challenge:
- Its stability has been a challenge as it degrades on exposure to light and is stripped of its valuable properties.