"From Lead to Lead-free: Rethinking Utilization of Emerging Halide Perovskites"

Abstract:

At the forefront of next-generation photovoltaic technology, metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs), with a remarkably high certified power conversion efficiency of 27%, have attracted extensive attention over the last years. What makes perovskite-based semiconductors so intriguing is their outstanding and tunable optoelectronic properties, such as high absorption coefficient, long charge carrier diffusion length, and high defect tolerance, together with the ease of low-cost solution processing. However, most of current efficient PSCs are based on lead (Pb) element as the key constituent, which is raising a high toxicity concern for the practical use. In this talk, I will introduce several promising lead-free perovskites or so-called perovskite-inspired materials both in the form of bulk (thin film) and nanocrystals for their green energy applications, which widely cover the solar cells, indoor PVs, light-emitting applications and photoelectrochemical reactions. 

Biography of Dr. Maning Liu (Assistant Professor):

Dr. Liu received his B. Eng. in Materials Engineering at Harbin Institute of Technology in China in 2005. From 2005 to 2012, he worked as a Senior Process Engineer in industry including TFT-LCD (liquid crystal display) and thin-film solar panel manufacturers. He then obtained his M. Eng. in 2013 and PhD degree in Physical Chemistry at RMIT University in Australia in 2017, respectively. After 10 months of postdoc research at RMIT, he conducted his second term of postdoc research work at Tampere University in Finland from 2018 to 2022, prior to becoming a Senior Research Fellow in 2022-2023. He joined Lund University as an Assistant Professor as well as a WISE Fellow since April 2023.

Dr. Liu has (co-)authored more than >65 publications of peer-reviewed journal papers, patents and book chapters. His research interests cover semiconductor quantum dots to metal halide perovskite materials with a highlight of novel lead-free perovskites for their photovoltaic and photocatalytic applications. He also has the expertise in utilizing cutting-edge time-resolved laser spectroscopies to deeply understand the photophysics of these functional materials.