A short course for high school instructors with activities that can be taken back to their own classrooms was hosted by the CMI in July 2024. The intent was to share learning and instructional content based on the same materials and concepts actively being developed in cutting-edge research labs across the globe but with components accessible, usable, and understandable at the high school level.
The short course this year focused on three objectives. First, the participating high school instructors were trained on how to synthesize (from scratch) organometallic perovskite films and the associated materials necessary for thin film photovoltaics. Second, the teachers were taught how to assemble those materials into a working device that can be measured and evaluated. The teachers were then able to assess the performance of their devices. Third, the teachers were able to revisit each day’s activity and discuss how it could be performed by their students.
The first two days were dedicated to the wet chemical purification and synthesis of precursor compounds necessary for eventual perovskite synthesis. These activities were designed to teach crystallization, solubility, reaction principles, and stoichiometry.
The third day introduced electrochemical concepts. A key aspect of this curriculum was design of a novel, simple electrodeposition platform that had three primary educational benefits: (1) it could be used to produce PbO2 films electrochemically using the same chemistry found in lead acid batteries, (2) it allows electrochemical cell set up by relatively unskilled hands, and (3) it affords multiple devices be prepared and tested on a single chip.
The fourth and fifth days were devoted to the facile synthesis of the base perovskite layer and device fabrication. These solar cells were then evaluated in terms of concepts discussed throughout the week. The end of the fifth day also included time for participants to discuss how to tailor this curriculum to different school settings.
