The search for the next generation of materials for solar cells is slow and resource-intensive due to the complexity of chemical compositions and device architectures. Leveraging data science and FAIR data principles is essential for accelerating discoveries and optimizing designs.
We present the open-source NOMAD ecosystem (https://nomad-lab.eu),[1] developed by the FAIRmat consortium (https://fairmat-nfdi.eu), as a solution to these challenges. NOMAD facilitates the collection, organization, and analysis of materials science data, serving as a central hub for advancing solar cell research. A key component of this effort is the integration of curated datasets, such as the perovskite solar cell database,[2] which offers structured and interoperable data for understanding material trends and driving data-driven innovation.
NOMAD also supports a federated infrastructure concept, enabling a distributed instance known as NOMAD Oasis. These local installations equip laboratories with customizable tools, including adaptable electronic lab notebooks (ELNs), to capture, process, automate, and transfer AI-ready data and metadata. This infrastructure connects lab-scale digitalization efforts with global collaboration, fostering a unified FAIR ecosystem for materials research data. In this work, we will present examples of how NOMAD services are advancing solar cell research, such as the digitalization of perovskite solar cell laboratories, the creation of an interconnected digital network for large-scale data sharing, and the development of digital workflows for high-throughput experimentation on novel solar cell materials.
References:
[1] M. Scheidgen et al., ‘NOMAD: A distributed web-based platform for managing materials science research data’, Journal of Open Source Software, vol. 8, no. 90, p. 5388, 2023, doi: 10.21105/joss.05388.
[2] T. J. Jacobsson et al., ‘An open-access database and analysis tool for perovskite solar cells based on the FAIR data principles’, Nat Energy, vol. 7, no. 1, Art. no. 1, Jan. 2022, doi: 10.1038/s41560-021-00941-3.