As 2024 approaches, we reflect on an extraordinary year of breakthroughs, collaborations, and achievements. Our research tools continue to play a pivotal role in helping researchers advance OLED technologies and push the boundaries of perovskite solar cells. We are ready to hit “VollGas” (full throttle) for an exciting and innovative 2025, but first, let’s look back at some highlights from 2024.

The Christmas TV ad battle is on as brands attempt to grab our attention over Christmas. We couldn’t resist joining the fun! So, here’s our very own 'A Fluxim Christmas Tale'—a lighthearted look at postdocs working late (we feel you), some festive lab magic, and a little too much coffee. Happy holidays from the lab!

Between our valued customers and our dedicated research team (including some excellent PhD theses), over 130 research papers have been published this year using Fluxim's R&D tools. This is the greatest testament we could ask for. A heartfelt thank you to all who continue to trust and utilize our products—we are proud to be part of your success! Here are a few papers that stood out :

Impact of Ion Migration on the Performance and Stability of Perovskite-Based Tandem Solar Cells

S. Shah, F. Yang, et al.

Adv. Energy Mater. 1, 2400720 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202400720

This aims to understand the impact of mobile ions on the stability of perovskite solar cells. The findings demonstrate that mobile ions have a significant influence on the tandem cell performance, lowering the ion-freeze power conversion efficiency from > 31% for Si/perovskite and > 30% for all-perovskite tandems to ≈28% in steady-state.

This is a great work combining experimental analysis of ionic losses in Si/perovskite and all-perovskite TSC susing scan-rate-dependent current–voltage (J–V) measurements with drift-diffusion simulations performed with Setfos.

Electrically assisted amplified spontaneous emission in perovskite light-emitting diodes

Elkhouly, Karim, Iakov Goldberg, Xin Zhang, Nirav Annavarapu, Sarah Hamdad, Guillaume Croes, Cédric Rolin, Jan Genoe, Weiming Qiu, Robert Gehlhaar and Paul Heremans. Nat. Photon. 18, 132, (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-023-01341-7

This work demonstrates that transparent perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) enable electrically enhanced amplified spontaneous emission— a key step towards achieving perovskite lasers and optical amplifiers. The authors achieved this by developing a transparent PeLED architecture with low optical losses and excellent current-injection properties.

Setfos was used to simulate the outcoupling factor and the angular distribution of the electroluminescence in these perovskite LEDs.

Click here to watch Karim talk about this work in our very first webinar

Targeted elimination of tetravalent-Sn-induced defects for enhanced efficiency and stability in lead-free NIR-II perovskite LEDs

Guan, X., Li, Y., Meng, Y. et al. Targeted elimination of tetravalent-Sn-induced defects for enhanced efficiency and stability in lead-free NIR-II perovskite LEDs.

Nat Commun 15, 9913, (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54160-x

This paper presents a novel method for improving the efficiency and operational lifetime of lead-free perovskite LEDs that emit in the second near-infrared window (NIR-II). This is done mainly by selectively removing detrimental defects caused by tetravalent tin (Sn4+) using a moisture treatment. Achieving efficient and stable Sn-based perovskite LEDs is challenging due to the tendency of Sn2+ to oxidize, resulting in detrimental Sn4+-induced defects. The authors present a targeted strategy to eliminate Sn4+-induced defects through moisture-triggered hydrolysis of tin tetrahalide, without degrading Sn2+ in the CsSnI3 film. During the moisture treatment, tin tetrahalide is selectively hydrolyzed to Sn(OH)4, which provides sustained protection.

Paios was used to characterize these perovskite LEDs via electroluminescence measurements and impedance spectroscopy.

Our R&D team is busier than ever, managing ongoing commitments and two exciting new projects approved this year.

The DICE project aims to develop industry-compatible characterization equipment for emerging perovskite solar cell (PSC) and perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell (PST) technologies to overcome the limitations of silicon photovoltaics. MENTOR aims to improve indoor photovoltaics to harvest energy from artificial light sources and power electronic devices.

You can learn more about these and all our R&D projects here.

We have had 8 research-focused webinars this year, including our latest one with Professor Annalisa Bruno. Did you attend? If not, you have missed out on some fantastic sessions covering the latest solar cell and OLED research innovations, practical tips for using Fluxim’s tools, and insights from industry experts. Don’t worry if you couldn’t attend—we’ve got you covered! Recordings of all sessions are available on our YouTube channel.

The webinars have attracted big audiences from across the globe so we would like to again thank all of our invited guests for their great contributions:

• Webinar 1: Dr. Karim Elkhouly, Imec & Dr. Simon Zeder, Fluxim

• Webinar 2: Dr. Sandeep Ravishankar, Forschungszentrum Jülich & Dr. Sandra Jenatsch, Fluxim

• Webinar 3: Dr. Sudhir Kumar, ETH Zürich & Dr. Balthasar Blülle, Fluxim

• Webinar 4: Dr. Erkan Aydin, Ludwig Maximilian University & Dr. Urs Aeberhard, Fluxim

• Webinar 5: Dr. Justin Chen, Stanford University & Dr. Davide Moia, Fluxim

• Webinar 6: Dr. Gregory Burwell, Swansea University & Ennio Comi, ZHAW

• Webinar 7: Dr. Torsten Brammer, Wavelabs & Dr. Antonio Cabas Vidani, Fluxim

• Webinar 8: Prof. Annalisa Bruno, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

And of course a massive thank you to all the researchers who joined us, an amazing 1,448 of you!

We have guest places available in 2025. If you would like to share your work, please send us an email.

Next webinar: From-lab-to-Fab OPVs - Challenge and results on next production NFA-based panel

Dr. Diego Bagnis, Oninn, Brazil

Tuesday 14th January, 2pm CET (10am BRT)

Committing to a Ph.D. is a monumental decision, requiring years of dedication and perseverance. At Fluxim, we’re proud to have a team enriched by multiple Ph.D. holders whose expertise drives our innovation. This year, two of our colleagues, Simon Zeder and Andreas Schiller, successfully defended their Ph.Ds, adding even more depth to our talented team. Congratulations to Dr. Zeder and Dr. Schiller.

And if you really want to know how many Doctors it takes to run Fluxim…at the moment it’s 16.

This year, we hit a huge milestone—20 years of Setfos! If you’ve been keeping up with our posts and newsletters, you’ll already know we might have mentioned this once or twice this year. But what we haven’t told you yet is how we celebrated it.

Of course, we had a party! Current and former Fluximers came together for a fun and memorable event, complete with plenty of laughs and a “unique” band with some…memorable style. We are not sure who booked them, but we´d like to book them again, if you recognize them, send your answers to info@fluxim.com.

This Christmas, showcase cutting-edge technology with the OLED/Perovskite Solar Cell gift tag, a practical application of indoor photovoltaics and flexible displays. Utilizing an indoor perovskite solar cell, known for its high power conversion efficiency under low light (as demonstrated in recent works like H. Jinno et al., Adv. Mater. 2024, 36, 2304604), the tag captures ambient light to power a flexible OLED panel. The OLED technology, renowned for its energy efficiency and customizable display properties, allows the tag to dynamically display changeable and personalized messages.

Available in three colors—Red, Green, and Blue—this tag combines aesthetics and science. Its perovskite solar cell ensures a consistent power supply without batteries, aligning with the sustainability goals highlighted in our MENTOR research project. This product demonstrates the practical potential of integrated perovskite and OLED systems, offering a glimpse into the future of functional, eco-conscious consumer technologies.

Thank You for a Great Year

As 2024 comes to a close, we want to thank all our customers and collaborators for your continued support and partnership. Your work drives innovation, and we’re proud to provide tools contributing to your success.

Here’s to an exciting and productive 2025!

Best regards,
The Fluxim Team