The threatening climate change crisis has instigated a lot of research on novel renewable energy sources, including a next generation of solar cells. Among these, the organolead halide perovskite solar cell (PSC) technology as well as all-oxide solar cells (AOSC) are particularly promising candidates. The aim of this project is to clarify how nucleation and growth processes affect the formation of metal oxide (or perovskite) thin films in thermal and chemical reactions when producing thin film solar cells. The main hypothesis is that during the thermal conversion of metal salts to oxides, humidity plays an important role in determining the final film structure. Under high humidity, the salt/oxide is more likely to melt and relocate on the surface in order to minimize the surface energy. This would result in larger crystal domains and more uniform structures. The proposed project will result in a better understanding of the working principles of PSCs and AOSCs and in boosting their efficiencies. This could, together with their inherent high stability and low cost, be enough for commercializing the technology within the next decade. As a direct result, this would mean that renewable and sustainable energy production would become readily available at a very affordable price. The clean energy produced utilizing this technology will also be beneficial for the environment, while it also helps to reach the goals of reducing CO2 emissions.

2019