Eye-opening! Hubei Optics Valley Laboratory displays these high technologies

Source: Yangtzi River Daily

In National Center City Index Report (2020), Wuhan Science Center Index ranks the third, next only to Beijing and Shanghai. Wuhan has unique advantages to forge the National Science Center.  

On the Hubei Province Science Award Conference on 18^th February, the first 7 Hubei Laboratories are inaugurated. In which, Luoyu Laboratory, Optics Valley Laboratory and Hongshan Laboratory organized and led by Wuhan University, HUST (Huazhong University of Science and Technology) and HZAU (Huazhong Agricultural University) will be important support for space technology, optoelectronic science and microbial breeding fields.  

Recently, reporters of Yangtze River Daily paid a visit to Optics Valley Laboratory and felt for themselves that the “Wuhan Power” driven by science and innovation.

“This tiny cell is cheaper, more efficient than the solar cells in current market which is expected to lead an energy revolution in related fields in the near future.” Professor Hongwei Han from HUST introduced   with a thumb-nail sized perovskite solar cell (PSC) in his hand on 22^nd February.

High efficient PSCs is one of the fourth major tasks once Hubei Optics Valley Laboratory is established. For many years, Professor Hongwei han Group have concentrated on studies in this field and already made groundbreaking achievements. The whole program shows tremendous potential for the future.  

In the mesoscopic solar cells and optoelectronic device lab of Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO), Professor Han pointed to an experimental device of a size of 2.5 cm long * 2 cm wide and told us, “This is a piece of conductive glass, we coat toothpaste-like nanometer materials on the glass layer by layer via printing process, the first layer is coated with TiO₂, the second with ZrO₂ and the third with black carbon electrode. Then we fill perovskite material into it. And that’s it, the device can generate power with low cost and simple fabrication process. And we possess the independent intellectual property rights on this device structure. ”  
It is learned that the conversion way of PSCs is more efficient and cheaper than conventional solar cells, so PSCs are deemed as the most promising third generation solar cells. In 2014, Han Group publicized PSCs with light stability for the first time internationally and the relevant research achievements are published in the top journal Science. For now, the team has successfully developed device with a size of 3,600 cm². A demonstrative power station has been set up in Ezhou City, Hubei Province which has already been generating over 1,900 kwh since August, 2020.

“We are trying to fabricate photovoltaic cells in a cheaper way to realize solar power generation. In that way, we can reduce the electricity cost sharply in order to realize the goal of carbon neutrality meanwhile to guarantee our nation’s energy security.” said Professor Han.

On the Press Conference of Hubei Province to Speed Up the Construction of Hubei Province by Science and Technology on 20^th February, Mr. Xinyu Shao, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, secretary of the party committee of HUST and chief of Hubei Optics Valley Laboratory introduced, the Laboratory will provide strategic supports for making the optoelectronic information industry in Hubei province bigger and stronger, establishing a tera-scale “Guang-Xin-Ping-Duan-Wang” industrial cluster -- which “Guang” stands for optical fibers, “Xin” for chips, “Ping” for semiconductor displays, “Duan” for smart mobile terminals and “Wang” for IT network industries coming along with massive health industry and nudging “Optics Valley of China” towards “Optics Valley of the world”.   

Professor Han is very delighted for the establishment of Optics Valley Laboratory, “the Lab takes a clear-cut stand to put up with the idea of development for high efficient PSCs, which is a great inspiration for us. It can facilitate us to develop our basic research to higher levels and accelerate the technology landing and industrialization. ”