News

8/24/2026	PVIC Researchers Publish New Study on Humidity-Resilient Perovskite Solar Cells and Modules
8/18/2026	PVIC Celebrates Prabodika Kaluarachchi’s Successful Ph.D. Dissertation Defense
8/13/2026	PVIC Celebrates Kshitiz Dolia’s Successful Ph.D. Dissertation Defense
6/30/2026	Researchers Publish New Study on High-Efficiency Cd(Se,Te) Solar Cells for Space Applications
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3/24/2026	Four PVIC Ph.D. Students Receive 2026 Society of Vacuum Coaters Foundation Scholarships
3/9/2026	PVIC Undergraduate Researcher Presents Solar Cell Research at UToledo Undergraduate Research Expo
3/8/2026	PVIC Researchers Publish “Radiative Defects in Chloride-Activated CdSe Thin Films” in ACS Energy Letters
3/7/2026	PVIC Adds Glass Science Expert Dr. Donghui Zhao to Strengthen Research and Industry Collaboration
1/29/2026	PVIC Researchers Publish Space-Ready Solar Cell Study in Solar RRL
1/28/2026	PVIC Researchers Publish New Study on the Future of Cadmium Telluride Solar Technology in Joule
12/23/2025	PVIC Researcher Manoj Jamarkattel Inspires Students at Toth Elementary School Career Day
12/22/2025	PVIC Researchers Publish “Assessing Proton Radiation Hardness of Antimony Chalcogenide Solar Cells”
11/18/2025	PVIC Director Dr. Michael Heben Receives NOIC Awards for Collaborative Research Projects
11/13/2025	PVIC Faculty Dr. Yanfa Yan and Dr. Zhaoning Song Named to 2025 Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers List
11/4/2025	PVIC Researchers Develop Full-Field ERE Imaging System to Reveal Power Loss Mechanisms in CdSeTe Solar Cells
10/30/2025	PVIC Hosts 9th Annual CdTe Photovoltaics Workshop, Bringing Together Over 100 Leaders in Thin-Film Solar Research
10/17/2025	PVIC Hosts SPS Students for Photovoltaics Workshop and Lab Tour, Inspiring Multidisciplinary STEM Engagement
10/9/2025	PVIC Study Demonstrates Exceptional Proton Radiation Resilience of CdSeTe Solar Cells for Space Applications
10/3/2025	PVIC High School Researcher Sarang Srikanth Presents Perovskite Simulation Work at International PSCO 2025 Conference
8/26/2025	Emily Amonette, Ph.D., Advances Photovoltaic Materials Understanding Through Spectroscopic Ellipsometry Research at PVIC
8/14/2025	PVIC Researchers Showcase Innovations at the 53rd IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference in Montréal
8/11/2025	New PVIC Study Demonstrates Bias-Dependent Quantum Efficiency as a Powerful Diagnostic for Identifying Recombination Pathways in Thin-Film Solar Cells
7/22/2025	PVIC Researchers Use Advanced 2D Modeling to Reveal How Back-Interface Inhomogeneities Impact CdTe Solar Cell Performance
7/4/2025	PVIC Research Helps UToledo Achieve Top Global Ranking in Materials Science in 2025 U.S. News & World Report
6/17/2025	PVIC Graduate Researcher Samietha Kummar, M.S., Boosts Sb₂S₃ Solar Cell Efficiency Through CdS Layer Optimization
5/30/2025	PVIC Welcomes Dr. Isuru Lakmal to Advance CdS/CdTe Thin-Film Solar Cell Development
5/28/2025	PVIC-Led International Review Charts a Roadmap for High-Efficiency Chalcogenide–Silicon Tandem Solar Cells
5/25/2025	Breakthrough PVIC Collaboration Identifies C₆₀-Based Molecule That Dramatically Boosts Perovskite Solar Cell Stability
5/24/2025	PVIC Researchers Advance Sb₂S₃ Solar Cell Efficiency Through Optimized Processing and Light-Soaking Strategies
5/13/2025	PVIC Researchers Engage Hundreds of Students at Junior Achievement Inspire Event, Showcasing Solar Science and Careers in Photovoltaics
5/12/2025	PVIC Welcomes Dr. Luis Carlos Infante-Ortega to Advance CdTe Thin-Film Solar Cell Research and Device Fabrication
5/7/2025	Madan Mainali, Ph.D., Enhances Photovoltaic Device Understanding Through Advanced Spectroscopic Ellipsometry Research at PVIC
5/5/2025	Nadeesha Ketakumbura, Ph.D., Advances CdTe Solar Cell Performance Through Temperature-Dependent FF Analysis and Predictive Modeling
5/1/2025	PVIC Researchers Pioneer On-Demand Lewis Base Strategy, Achieving 26.1% Efficiency in Stable Perovskite Solar Cells
4/30/2025	PVIC Undergraduate Researcher Kartik Nair Wins Best Poster Award for Advancements in Phosphorus-Doped CdTe Solar Cells
4/25/2025	PVIC Showcases Cutting-Edge Photovoltaics Research at 2025 MRS Spring Meeting; Probodika Kaluarachchi Wins Best Student Poster Award
4/24/2025	PVIC Undergraduate Researcher Atticus Destatte Wins 1st Place at 2025 UToledo NSM Research Expo for CdSe/CdTe Thin-Film Study
4/7/2025	RISE 2025 Applications Open — Former RISE Intern Now PhD Holder Shares Her Journey
3/21/2025	PVIC at The University of Toledo Leads the Charge in Solar Innovation as an R1 Research Institution
3/8/2025	Dr. Randall Ellingson Named Distinguished University Professor at The University of Toledo
3/6/2025	UTNews PVIC Student Spotlight: Tyler Brau and Dr. Sanduni Premathilaka Drive Innovation in Renewable Energy and Water Sustainability through U.S.-Serbia Collaboration
2/26/2025	Groundbreaking PVIC Research Unlocks the Potential of (InxGa1-x)2O3 Alloys for Advanced Semiconductor and Optoelectronic Applications
1/31/2025	New PVIC Publication Explores the Impact of Organic Hole Transport Layers on Narrow Bandgap Perovskite Solar Cells
1/8/2025	PVIC Researchers Uncover Key Recombination Mechanisms in High-Performance Tin-Lead Perovskite Solar Cells
12/17/2024	Ph.D. Candidate Sabin Neupane Defends Thesis on Group V Doping for High-Efficiency CdSeTe Solar Cells
12/3/2024	PVIC Researchers Set New Benchmark with 20.6% Efficiency in CdSeTe Solar Cells Using Bismuth Doping
12/2/2024	Tamanna Mariam, Ph.D., Successfully Defends Thesis on Advancing Perovskite Solar Cell Stability and Performance
11/21/2024	PVIC Ph.D. Student Alex Bordovalos Wins Top Poster Award at AVS 2024 for AI-Powered PV Research!
10/30/2024	PVIC Hosts 8th Annual US-MAC CdTe Workshop, Showcasing Innovation and Collaboration in Solar Technology
10/4/2024	Explore the Future of Solar at PVIC: Join Our Graduate Program and Upcoming Webinar
09/27/2024	UTNews Feature: PVIC Ph.D. Student Aesha Patel Joins Prestigious NREL Internship to Advance CdTe Solar Research
09/20/2024	PVIC Chair Dr. Randy Ellingson Discusses AFRL Grant and Space Solar Innovations in Renewable Energy World Article
09/18/2024	PVIC Celebrates Student Researcher Samie Kummar’s Achievements in Solar Cell Development
09/17/2024	Breakthrough in Perovskite Tandem Efficiency Published by Dr. Yan and PVIC Team in Nature Energy
09/10/2024	PVIC Showcases Space Solar Technologies at NASA’s SPRAT Conference
09/5/2024	PVIC at GPVC 2024: Advancing Solar Cell Research and Global Collaborations
09/3/2024	PVIC Secures $15M from AFRL to Pioneer Space-Based Solar Technologies
08/28/2024	Congratulations to Dr. Jared Friedl on His Successful Ph.D. Defense in CdTe Solar Cell Research
08/26/2024	PVIC Hosts Vacuum Technology Tutorial by Kurt J. Lesker Company for Next-Gen Researchers
08/14/2024	PVIC’s Perovskite Research Recognized in SPIE’s "50 Years of Solar Energy" Book
08/12/2024	PVIC Hosts Renowned PV Expert Prof. Christophe Ballif for Seminar on Future of Solar Energy
08/11/2024	UToledo’s RISE 2024 Program Concludes 13th Year with High School Interns Showcasing Research Posters
08/9/2024	Congratulations to Manoj Rajakaruna for Successfully Defending His Thesis on Scaling Up Perovskite Solar Cells for Terrestrial and Space Applications!
08/7/2024	PVIC Researchers Illuminate Ohio State Fair with Hands-On Solar Power Demonstration
8/6/2024	PVIC’s Research Paper on Antimony Sulfoselenide Thin Films Ranks in Top 10% of Downloads!
08/5/2024	Dr. Randy Ellingson Highlights Ohio’s PV Deployment Challenges at NREL’s HOPE Workshop, Accompanied by PVIC Graduate Students
07/30/2024	PVIC grad student researcher Kshitiz Dolia Gains Insight into Cutting-Edge PV Technologies at HOPE 2024 Workshop
07/25/2024	PVIC Grad Student researcher Nadeesha Ketakumbura participated in HOPE 2024 Workshop
07/24/2024	PVIC Researchers Achieve Breakthrough in Antimony Sulfide Solar Cells with VOC Near 800 mV: A Step Forward in High-Efficiency, Low-Cost Photovoltaics
07/20/2024	PVIC Director Dr. Michael Heben Secures $841K DOE Award to Extend CdTe PV Project, Boosting Solar Efficiency Research
07/19/2024	Dr. Zhaoning Song Unveils Breakthrough in All-Perovskite Tandem Solar Cells with PVIC Research Published in Joule
07/10/2024	PVIC Shines at 52nd IEEE PVSC: 17 Experts, 5 Oral Presentations, and 18 Posters Highlight Breakthroughs in Photovoltaic Technology
07/9/2024	PVIC researchers Unveil Breakthrough Method to Boost Stability and Lifespan of Perovskite Solar Cells
07/4/2024	PVIC’s Dr. Nikolas Podraza Appointed NEG Endowed Chair for Silicate Science, Honoring Excellence in Materials Research
07/3/2024	Wright Center to Drive Innovation in Glass and Solar Industries as Part of New $41.7 Million Northwest Ohio Glass Innovation Hub
06/27/2024	PVIC Mourns the Passing of Accomplished Researcher and Alumnus Dr. Paul Roland, Celebrates Legacy of His Contributions to Pv Materials Research.
06/12/2024	Weekly Spotlight PVIC Researcher Dr. Vijay Karade Advances Solar Cell Innovations in CdTe and Tandem Technologies
06/5/2024	PVIC Hosts visiting researcher Dr. Nikola Ilic from the University of Belgrade for Collaborative Research on Antimony Sulfide Solar Cells.
05/29/2024	Researchers from Wright Center for Photovoltaics and Collaborators Unveil Breakthrough in Perovskite-CdSeTe Tandem Solar Cells, Achieving Path to 30% Efficiency
05/20/2024	HUGE shout-out to the 5 PVIC Researchers who were recently announced as Scholarly and Creative Activity Award Winners by the UToledo Research & Sponsored Programs Office!
05/1/2024	Recent research Insights into CdTe Solar Cell Efficiency led by PVIC Research Abasi Abudulimu and funded by U.S. DOE , the Air Force Research Laboratory, and National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
04/28/2024	Congratulations to PVIC reseacher Scott Lambright on his recognition for the GC Outstanding Student Award for Spring 2024!
04/26/2024	A "Cool" Eclipse Effect Observed at UToledo's PVIC
04/12/2024	PVIC research faculty visited the Toledo Technology Academy High School of Engineering (TTA) to demonstrate solar cells to the Alternative Energy class.
03/25/2024	"PVIC Undergrad Researcher Zachary Zawisza Expands Experience at CERN Internship in Switzerland."
02/21/2024	"PVIC's Dr. Manoj Jamarkattel Leads Breakthrough in Solar Cell Technology: 17.2% Efficient CdSexTe1-x Solar Cell Achieved on Flexible Glass"
01/31/2024	Recent research from PVIC, UToledo, and collaborators at Loughborough University, UK. "The effect of remnant CdSe layers on CdSeTe/CdTe photovoltaic devices."
01/29/2024	"PVIC Undergrad Researcher Hana El Sayed Expands her Experience at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"
01/22/2024	Dr. Yanfa Yan, Distinguished University Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy at PVIC is one of two UToledo researchers listed among Clarivate’s 2023 Highly Cited Researchers.
01/3/2024	Research Led by Adam Phillips Reveals Key Insights for Enhancing CdTe Solar Cell Performance.
12/08/2023	Prabin Dulal, graduate student at UToledo PVIC who recently won the J.A. Woollam Foundation Best Student Talk Award 2023 on "Anisotropic Optical Properties of GdScO3" at the AVS 69th International Symposium & Exhibition.
11/29/2023	Dr. Randy Ellingson, PVIC-endowed chair brings 30+ years of solar energy expertise to the Environmental Protection and Climate Resilience Commission.
11/22/2023	Congrats to Lei Chen, a Ph.D. candidate at PVIC , on successfully defending his dissertation on Tin-Lead Perovskite Solar Cells. Check out his latest review article "On the Durability of Tin-Containing Perovskite Solar Cells"
10/11/2023	New research by Dr. Xian Yeming and coworkers at PVIC reveals insights into the spin-orbit coupling in lead halide perovskites
10/04/2023	UT PVIC, National Lab Researchers Partner to Advance Perovskite Solar Cell Development.
09/29/2023	Recently published paper on "Seed-Assisted Growth for Scalable and Efficient Perovskite Solar Modules" by You Li and colleagues, addressing challenges in PSMs for enhanced efficiency and stability.
09/06/2023	PVIC researcher Dr. Adam Phillips, recently published a paper “Understanding and Advancing Bifacial Thin Film Solar Cells Under Dual Illumination,” The study was funded by DOE, AFResearchLab and NREL.
08/28/2023	Reseachers at PVIC and UBC published their new paper “Applications of spectroscopic ellipsometry for multilayer analysis of CdTe solar cell structures incorporating Magnesium–Zinc oxide high resistivity transparent layers”.
08/01/2023	Ebin Bastola, Khagendra Bhandari, and Randy J. Ellingson, Researchers at UT PVIC, were part of a team that published a paper exploring a new loss analysis method using external quantum efficiency (EQE) measurements.
07/31/2023	PVIC Researchers overcame buried interface defects using potassium citrate. The research shows improved device performance, stability, and a staggering 26.1% PCE with a T80 lifetime of 700 hours under 1 sun illumination.
07/20/2023	Very high bifacial thin film solar cells. Dr. Zhaoning Song and Dr. Yanfa Yan from the UToledo NSMand UT PVIC collaborating with NREL, achieved a back-illuminated efficiency that is 91% to 93% of the front side in perovskite solar cells.
06/28/2023	Dr. Yanfa Yan and Dr. Zhaoning Song of PVIC received $1 million grant from DOE for their research on solar cells producing clean hydrogen.
02/24/2023	Made-in-Ohio solar panels benefit from federal incentives, supply chain politics.
02/17/2023	PVIC's Prof. Yanfa Yan and his team published their research in ScienceMagazine, achieving > 24% initial cell efficiency via interface and grain boundary passivation!
08/01/2022	DOE announced the launch of the Cadmium Telluride Accelerator Consortium, a $20 million, UToledo's PVIC led initiative designed to make cadmium telluride solar cells less expensive, more efficient and develop new markets for solar cell products.
06/13/2022	PVIC, NREL, et al. developed a tin-lead perovskite cell that overcomes problems with stability and improves efficiency. The new cell measured at 25.5% efficiency.
12/10/2021	Using templated film growth PVIC and NREL have achieved antimony selenide solar cells with 8.5% efficiency
11/15/2021	PVIC researchers demonstrated improved rear side passivation on CdTe solar cells, reaching 17.4% efficiency. Highlights are covered in pvmagazine and the original work appears in IEEE Journal of #Photovoltaics.
05/03/2021	PVIC have developed a 6.43%-efficient solar cell using antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) films with large grains prepared by closed space sublimation.
02/11/2021	PVIC's Dr. Yanfa Yan #UToledo one of three faculty members, recently named Distinguished University Professor in recognition of his exemplary achievements in teaching, research, scholarship & professional service.
06/16/2020	PVIC has published a critical roadmap to "Understanding and Advancing Bifacial Thin Film Solar Cells" in ACS Applied Energy Materials.
04/29/2020	PVIC teams with NREL and others to establish U.S. Manufacturing of Advanced Perovskites Consortium (US-MAP).
01/08/2020	PVIC's Mark Monarch, an undergraduate student in EECS, is learning all about NREL's solar energy research during this "mini-semester" program
11/06/2019	PVIC awarded two DOE SETO projects for $5.7.
09/09/2019	Prof. Heben and Yan to co-Chair sessions at sessions at National Lab Day at UT on Oct. 10.
09/08/2019	PVIC to host Lesker U course on vacuum science and physical vapor deposition on Oct. 1.
08/29/2019	PVIC awarded $750,000 by DOE to study hydrogen production.
08/05/2019	PVIC awarded $7.4M grant from Air Force Research Laboratory.
08/01/2019	Professor Randy Ellingson named PVIC Endowed Chair.
07/31/2019	Dipendra Adhikari successfully defended his dissertation to earn his PhD in Physics.
07/24/2019	Prakash Uprety successfully defended his dissertation to earn his PhD in Physics.
06/17/2019	Kamala Khanal Subedi, Dhurba Sapkota, and Ramez Hosseinian Ahangharnejhad were nominated for Best Poster at PVSC 46.
05/10/2019	PVIC develop 23% efficient perovskite tandem minimodule.
04/07/2019	Kamala Khanal Subedi won First Solar Best Presentation in Solar and Renewable Energy at the 9th Midwest Graduate Research Symposium.
03/22/2019	PVIC has an open Postdoctoral Research Associate position in time resolved optical spectroscopy and PV materials.
03/22/2019	PVIC has an open position for a PV Technician.
03/15/2019	Professor Yanfa Yan and and his group's review article about perovskite structured materials for catalysis and photovoltaics is the Environmental & Environmental Science cover article.
11/07/2018	Professor Yanfa Yan and Dr. Xiaoming Wang discover a lead-free perovskite material that emits a white light.
10/24/2018	Indra Subedi successfully defended his dissertation to earn his PhD in Physics.
09/28/2018	UT will hosted the 2018 Ohio-region section of the APS Fall meeting Friday and Saturday September 28-29.
08/18/2018	Professor Michael Heben named Harold and Helen McMaster Endowed Chair.
07/17/2018	Ilke Celik successfully defended her dissertation to earn her PhD in Civil Engineering.
06/18/2018	UT recognizes Solar Energy, Water Quality and Sustainable Technologies as an Area of Research Excellence.
06/15/2018	Ilke Celik won the Best Student Paper Award at the 2018 World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion (WCPEC-7) at Waikoloa, Hawaii.
06/12/2018	Dr. Zhaoning Song, Research Assistant Professor in Dr. Yanfa Yan's research group received the Best Poster Award at the 2018 World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion (WCPEC-7) at Waikoloa, Hawaii.
06/11/2018	Biwas Subedi and Dr. Max Junda won Best Poster Award on collaborative work between Profs. Yan and Podraza’s research groups at the 2018 World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion (WCPEC-7) at Waikoloa, Hawaii.
04/25/2018	Professor Yanfa Yan received Outstanding Research Scholarship Award.
04/07/2018	Geethika Liyanage won Best Presentation in Solar and Renewable Energy at the 9th Midwest Graduate Research Symposium.
12/15/2017	Xinxuan Tan successfully defended her dissertation to earn her PhD in Physics.
12/01/2017	Suneth Watthage successfully defended his dissertation to earn his PhD in Physics.
11/15/2017	Kiran Ghimire successfully defended his dissertation to earn his PhD in Physics.
11/09/2017	Yue Yu successfully defended her dissertation to earn her PhD in Physics.
08/01/2017	A paper by PVIC researchers on the environmental analysis of perovskites and materials in tandem solar cells was name on of "2017 Energy and Environmental Science HOT articles"
07/21/2017	A paper coauthered by PVIC researchers titled "An organic-inorganic perovskite ferroelectric with large piezoelectric response" is published in Science
06/30/2017	Ilke Celik was a Best Student Presentation Award Finalist at 44th PVSC held in Washington, DC.
06/30/2017	Kiran Ghimire won Best Poster Award at 44th PVSC held in Washington, DC.
06/01/2017	A paper by PVIC researchers on the technoeconomic analysis of perovskite modules was name on of "2017 Energy and Environmental Science HOT articles"
05/23/2017	A paper by PVIC on Perovskite Solar-Cell Stability was highlighted in Advances in Engineering.
04/24/2017	PVIC work is highlighted by Solar Novus Today: All-Perovskite Tandem Solar Cell Sets Efficiency World Record
04/19/2017	work is reported by UT News: Bright Work: UT Research Shines, Sets Low-Bandgap Perovskite Solar Cell World Record For Efficiency
03/01/2017	Assistant Research Professor Dewei Zhao's new paper is published in Nature Energy
12/23/2016	A paper by PVIC is published in Materials Horizons and featured as the cover page.
12/15/2016	A paper by PVIC on probing photocurrent nonuniformities in the subcells of perovskite/tandem solar cells was highlighted in JPC Lett editorial, Spotlights: Volume 7, Issue 24.
12/08/2016	Alex Cimaroli successfully defended his dissertation to earn his PhD in Physics.
10/10/2016	A review paper by PVIC was highlighted in the October 2016 issue of SPIE Professional magazine .
09/28/2016	Weiqiang Liao and Dewei Zhao's JACS paper was highlighted by ACS New
08/24/2016	A paper by PVIC on Perovskite Solar-Cell Stability among top 5 most accessed papers in July 2016 issue of Advanced Energy Materials
07/27/2016	Zhaoning Song successfully defended his dissertation to earn his PhD in Physics.
08/26/2015	A paper by PVIC on perovskite phase diagram (Chem. Mater. 2015, 27, 4612–4619) is highlighted by UT News.
08/10/2015	Zhaoning Song won Newport Research Excellence Awards, SPIE Optics and Photonics 2015.
07/14/2015	A paper by PVIC is featured on the July 14 Chemistry of Materials cover.
06/18/2015	Zhaoning Song won the Best Student Paper Award at the 42nd IEEE PVSC conference

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