MIT scientists use old acid car batteries to create solar panels

A team of scientists from the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) for several years working on a project that will help solve two problems at once: the disposal of old acid batteries and cheaper production of solar cells.

The MIT team achieved success by managing to create solar panels from used batteries, while the efficiency of such panels is about 19%, which is comparable to the average photocell produced now. The new method was being worked out for about 18 months, and now researchers have published an article on the results of the study, plus they have posted a video, which shows in detail the steps to create a photocell. In this case, perovskite (a perovskite structure, rather than a natural mineral perovskite, according to this commentary ) is used as the main material that converts light into electricity.

By the way, the company Oxford Photovoltaics recently began searching for a method of creating solar panels from perovskite, a method that would be commercially viable. In such panels there should be lead (a small percentage), and it is mined by a rather complicated, “dirty” method.
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But there is a lot of lead in spent acid car batteries, which are recycled, but not in all countries (about 90% of such batteries are recycled in the US, and the rest is exported to Mexico). Presumably, the global "reserves" of such batteries are huge. The key idea in the article is precisely the use of batteries as a source of lead, which, according to scientists, is cheaper and more environmentally friendly than its production by standard methods.

It is also important to note that the authors obtain lead iodide from both lead dioxide and pure lead, that is, the anode and cathode of the batteries are used. Then they clean it and, using a centrifuge, are deposited on the FTO plate. As for the substrate on which crystals are deposited: this is Fluorine doped Tin Oxide (FTO), that is, tin oxide doped with fluorine. Such a "glass" conducts electricity well. (for more information thanks Klukonin ).

And here the method proposed by MIT is just perfect: we recycle batteries, and produce low-cost solar panels. According to scientists, a single battery is enough to create solar panels that can produce electricity for 30 households.

This is what the laboratory production process looks like (English):



Via ieee