Materials Science Seminar: Fundamentals and Applications of Halide Perovskites

Learn from Kelly Schutt as he presents on "Electrochemical memory for robust analog computing systems"

Abstract:
Halide perovskites are a class of semiconductors with exceptional optoelectronic properties and vexing degradation modes. I started researching these materials at Boise State in 2016 with the help of Rick Ubic, Elton Graugnard, and Claire Xiong. Since then, halide perovskites have flourished and unforeseen applications have emerged.
Deep underground, our team is exploring perovskites as detectors for exotic particles (primarily neutrinos, potentially dark matter).
On Earth’s surface, there are megawatt-scale perovskite solar installations, and most solar manufacturers have perovskites on their roadmap. Other applications include radiation detection (medical imaging, gamma spectroscopy). In one of my new projects with DARPA, we are also developing radiovoltaics (“nuclear batteries”).
In space, perovskites can provide scalable electric power for the era of satellite constellations. Our team designed and deployed the world’s first durable perovskite cells in low Earth orbit. McKinsey forecasts the space economy will be valued at $1.8T in 2035.
We examine how this range of applications is underpinned by the unique defect physics of halide perovskites; these arise from their band structure and weak ionic bonding. While the performance of these materials shines, deployment has been constrained by durability. We compare the trajectory of perovskite devices with Li-ion batteries and organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). These devices were once too fragile for commercialization, but their underlying properties had unique economic value. Scientists and engineers have improved the lifetime of these devices by 1,000-10,000x since their inception, and now Li-ion batteries and OLED’s command global revenues of ~$200B/year.

Bio:
Kelly Schutt is a staff scientist at the National Laboratory of the Rockies in Golden, CO. He holds a Ph.D. in Condensed Matter Physics from the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Marshall Scholar, and a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Boise State University. His recent work combines AI and robotics to accelerate perovskite device fabrication and characterization. When he’s not in the lab, he likes to spend time with his family and escaping to the mountains for snowboarding and backpacking.

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