THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The University of Kerala has received an Indian patent for a process of crystalising perovskite quantum dots for dye-sensitised solar cells.
The patent is an outcome of collaborative research between the Departments of Physics and Botany, facilitated by KU’s Translational Research and Innovation Centre.
The researchers have demonstrated the use of their patent for applications such as solar cell and blue light emitting diode.
R Jayakrishnan, lead researcher in the team, said the significance of the patent is in having developed a process for achieving crystallisation of the perovskite materials that are being widely researched.
Solar cells made of such materials give efficiency in the range of 25% which is significantly larger than the 15% - 18% efficiency delivered by the currently available Silicon solar cells fitted on rooftops.
The researchers screened plants from the Western Ghats for dye sensitised solar cells and made significant progress when they identified the potential applications of the extract of Momordica Cochinchinesis (LOUR.) fruit locally known as baby jack fruit.
The University obtained the patent on the grounds that their researchers could remove the lead content in the semiconductor compound by 30% by introducing Copper in its place.