SoFab Inks lands $300K NSF grant for cheaper perovskite solar layers
What's the deal? SoFab InksDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has won a $300,165 Phase I Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Science Foundation. The award funds development of liquid-processable tin oxide (SnO2) nanoparticle inks, used as an electron transport layer for fullerene-free perovskite solar cells.
What's the endgame? SoFab is building affordable perovskite materials compatible with industrial coating methods. The project will study how ink formulation, thin-film properties, and processing conditions affect layer quality, testing film uniformity, electronic performance, device stability, and scalable deposition.
The aim: cut manufacturing costs for perovskite modules and reduce reliance on imported materials in the solar supply chain. It builds on the SnO2-based work SoFab is already advancing commercially. Collaborators include the Washington Clean Energy Test BedsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and the National Lab of the Rockies.
Why now? The grant caps an active year. In July, SoFab closed a $6 million seed round to scale its fullerene-free perovskite materials for automotive, space, and IoT markets.
This month, it reported that its Tinfab modules outperformed fullerene-based controls in new damp-heat stability and fracture energy tests. The NSF award adds federal backing to that momentum, targeting the same fullerene-free, SnO2-based approach at the heart of its commercial roadmap.
The signal: The grant is a modest cheque — sitting around the middle of comparable rounds — but it stacks government support onto private capital for the same technology. That combination signals confidence that SoFab's materials can move from lab results to industrial-scale solar manufacturing.
Read more: perovskite-info.com
Image credit: Jacobs School of Engineering
