Dutch scientists find tin-based solar breakthrough keeping hot electrons 1,000x longer

Scientists at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands have discovered how tin-based perovskite materials allow hot electrons to retain their excess energy for around 1,000 times longer than expected, a finding that could shape the future of solar power. The researchers found that two physical effects, the hot phonon bottleneck and the Burstein–Moss effect, work together to slow electron cooling from picoseconds to nanoseconds. Published in ACS Energy Letters, the study addresses a major challenge in solar energy, where excess electron energy is typically lost as heat before it can be converted into electricity. The findings could support the development of hot-carrier solar cells designed to reduce thermalisation losses and improve solar conversion efficiency.How Dutch scientists uncovered the secret behind longer-lasting hot electronsThe research began with experiments led by Maria Antonietta Loi, whose team was studying the behaviour of excited charge carriers in tin-based perovskite materials. These materials are being investigated for their potential use in solar cells and other optoelectronic technologies. During the experiments, Loi’s team observed that hot electrons r...