Project description:Lead-free double perovskites have been considered as a potential environmentally friendly photovoltaic material for substituting the hybrid lead halide perovskites due to their high stability and nontoxicity. Here, lead-free double perovskite Cs2AgBiBr6 films are initially fabricated by single-source evaporation deposition under high vacuum condition. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy characterization show that the high crystallinity, flat, and pinhole-free double perovskite Cs2AgBiBr6 films were obtained after post-annealing at 300 °C for 15 min. By changing the annealing temperature, annealing time, and film thickness, perovskite Cs2AgBiBr6 solar cells with planar heterojunction structure of FTO/TiO2/Cs2AgBiBr6/Spiro-OMeTAD/Ag achieve an encouraging power conversion efficiency of 0.70%. Our preliminary work opens a feasible approach for preparing high-quality double perovskite Cs2AgBiBr6 films wielding considerable potential for photovoltaic application.
Project description:Bifacial perovskite solar cells (Bi-PSCs) require thick perovskite layers to sufficiently absorb higher wavelength light. Also, it is critical to know which electrode (top or bottom) can more efficiently harvest the direct incident solar irradiance. Here, fully vacuum-deposited Bi-PSCs are reported with perovskite layer thicknesses ranging from ∼720 nm to 1.3 μm. With an optimized ITO top-electrode, the Bi-PSCs generated higher current density under top-illumination by >1 mA/cm2, attaining the highest value of 24.98 mA/cm2. The best Bi-PSC exhibited an efficiency of 19.6% under top-illumination and 18.71% under bottom-illumination, resulting in a high bifaciality factor of ∼0.95. Furthermore, even after employing cover glass encapsulation on the top-electrode, the Bi-PSCs still produced higher current density from top-illumination. Upon bifacial illumination using simulated 1-Sun light as the main illumination and a white LED light albedo of ∼0.21, the champion Bi-PSC demonstrated a current density value of ∼30.00 mA/cm2.
Project description:The grain size of perovskite films is a key factor to optimize the performance of perovskite photovoltaic devices. Herein, a new route is developed in this paper to prepare CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3) films with a better morphology and crystallization. This method includes the spin coating deposition of perovskite films with a precursor solution of PbI2 and CH3NH3I at the molar ratio 1 : 1 and thermal annealing (TA). The thermal annealing is conducted with a thermal-induced process to realize grain growth with solvent evaporation. In addition, a mixed solvent vapor treatment in acetic acid with chlorobenzene (HAc/CB) improves the morphology and crystallization of films further. As a result, the photovoltaic device based on the perovskite film treated by mixed HAc/CB solvent exhibits the best efficiency of 13.15% in comparison to the control device with 11.44% under AM 1.5G irradiation (100 mW cm-2).
Project description:In this article, we used a two-step chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method to synthesize methylammonium lead-tin triiodide perovskite films, MAPb1-xSnxI3, with x varying from 0 to 1. We successfully controlled the concentration of Sn in the perovskite films and used Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) to quantify the composition of the precursor films for conversion into perovskite films. According to the RBS results, increasing the SnCl2 source amount in the reaction chamber translate into an increase in Sn concentration in the films. The crystal structure and the optical properties of perovskite films were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV-Vis spectrometry. All the perovskite films depicted similar XRD patterns corresponding to a tetragonal structure with I4cm space group despite the precursor films having different crystal structures. The increasing concentration of Sn in the perovskite films linearly decreased the unit volume from about 988.4 Å3 for MAPbI3 to about 983.3 Å3 for MAPb0.39Sn0.61I3, which consequently influenced the optical properties of the films manifested by the decrease in energy bandgap (Eg) and an increase in the disorder in the band gap. The SEM micrographs depicted improvements in the grain size (0.3-1 µm) and surface coverage of the perovskite films compared with the precursor films.
Project description:We introduced a new approach to deposit perovskite layer with no need for dissolving perovskite precursors. Deposition of Solution-free perovskite (SFP) layer is a key method for deposition of perovskite layer on the hole or electron transport layers that are strongly sensitive to perovskite precursors. Using deposition of SFP layer in the perovskite solar cells would extend possibility of using many electron and hole transport materials in both normal and invert architectures of perovskite solar cells. In the present work, we synthesized crystalline perovskite powder followed by successful deposition on TiO2 and cuprous iodide as the non-sensitve and sensitive charge transport layers to PbI2 and CH3NH3I solution in DMF. The post compressing step enhanced the efficiency of the devices by increasing the interface area between perovskite and charge transport layers. The 9.07% and 7.71% cell efficiencies of the device prepared by SFP layer was achieved in respective normal (using TiO2 as a deposition substrate) and inverted structure (using CuI as deposition substrate) of perovskite solar cell. This method can be efficient in large-scale and low cost fabrication of new generation perovskite solar cells.
Project description:All-perovskite tandem solar cells beckon as lower cost alternatives to conventional single-junction cells. Solution processing has enabled rapid optimization of perovskite solar technologies, but new deposition routes will enable modularity and scalability, facilitating technology adoption. Here, we utilize 4-source vacuum deposition to deposit FA0.7Cs0.3Pb(IxBr1-x)3 perovskite, where the bandgap is changed through fine control over the halide content. We show how using MeO-2PACz as a hole-transporting material and passivating the perovskite with ethylenediammonium diiodide reduces nonradiative losses, resulting in efficiencies of 17.8% in solar cells based on vacuum-deposited perovskites with a bandgap of 1.76 eV. By similarly passivating a narrow-bandgap FA0.75Cs0.25Pb0.5Sn0.5I3 perovskite and combining it with a subcell of evaporated FA0.7Cs0.3Pb(I0.64Br0.36)3, we report a 2-terminal all-perovskite tandem solar cell with champion open circuit voltage and efficiency of 2.06 V and 24.1%, respectively. This dry deposition method enables high reproducibility, opening avenues for modular, scalable multijunction devices even in complex architectures.
Project description:Organometallic trihalide perovskites are promising materials for photovoltaic applications, which have demonstrated a rapid rise in photovoltaic performance in a short period of time. We report a facile one-step method to fabricate planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), with a solar power conversion efficiency of up to 11.1%. We performed a systematic optimization of CVD parameters such as temperature and growth time to obtain high quality films of CH3NH3PbI3 and CH3NH3PbI(3-x)Clx perovskite. Scanning electron microscopy and time resolved photoluminescence data showed that the perovskite films have a large grain size of more than 1 micrometer, and carrier life-times of 10 ns and 120 ns for CH3NH3PbI3 and CH3NH3PbI(3-x)Clx, respectively. This is the first demonstration of a highly efficient perovskite solar cell using one step CVD and there is likely room for significant improvement of device efficiency.
Project description:Understanding and controlling grain growth in metal halide perovskite polycrystalline thin films is an important step in improving the performance of perovskite solar cells. We demonstrate accurate control of crystallite size in CH3NH3PbI3 thin films by regulating substrate temperature during vacuum co-deposition of inorganic (PbI2) and organic (CH3NH3I) precursors. Films co-deposited onto a cold (-2 °C) substrate exhibited large, micrometer-sized crystal grains, while films that formed at room temperature (23 °C) only produced grains of 100 nm extent. We isolated the effects of substrate temperature on crystal growth by developing a new method to control sublimation of the organic precursor, and CH3NH3PbI3 solar cells deposited in this way yielded a power conversion efficiency of up to 18.2%. Furthermore, we found substrate temperature directly affects the adsorption rate of CH3NH3I, thus impacting crystal formation and hence solar cell device performance via changes to the conversion rate of PbI2 to CH3NH3PbI3 and stoichiometry. These findings offer new routes to developing efficient solar cells through reproducible control of crystal morphology and composition.
Project description:Molecular passivation is a prominent approach for improving the performance and operation stability of halide perovskite solar cells (HPSCs). Herein, we reveal discernible effects of diammonium molecules with either an aryl or alkyl core onto Methylammonium-free perovskites. Piperazine dihydriodide (PZDI), characterized by an alkyl core-electron cloud-rich-NH terminal, proves effective in mitigating surface and bulk defects and modifying surface chemistry or interfacial energy band, ultimately leading to improved carrier extraction. Benefiting from superior PZDI passivation, the device achieves an impressive efficiency of 23.17% (area ~1 cm2) (low open circuit voltage deficit ~0.327 V) along with superior operational stability. We achieve a certified efficiency of ~21.47% (area ~1.024 cm2) for inverted HPSC. PZDI strengthens adhesion to the perovskite via -NH2I and Mulliken charge distribution. Device analysis corroborates that stronger bonding interaction attenuates the defect densities and suppresses ion migration. This work underscores the crucial role of bifunctional molecules with stronger surface adsorption in defect mitigation, setting the stage for the design of charge-regulated molecular passivation to enhance the performance and stability of HPSC.
Project description:Trap-dominated non-radiative charge recombination is one of the key factors that limit the performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), which was widely studied in methylammonium (MA) containing PSCs. However, there is a need to elucidate the defect chemistry of thermally stable, MA-free, cesium/formamidinium (Cs/FA)-based perovskites. Herein, we show that d-penicillamine (PA), an edible antidote for treating heavy metal ions, not only effectively passivates the iodine vacancies (Pb2+ defects) through coordination with the -SH and -COOH groups in PA, but also finely tunes the crystallinity of Cs/FA-based perovskite film. Benefiting from these merits, a reduction of non-radiative recombination and an increase in photoluminescence lifetime have been achieved. As a result, the champion MA-free device exhibits an impressive power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 22.4%, an open-circuit voltage of 1.163 V, a notable fill factor of 82%, and excellent long-term operational stability. Moreover, the defect passivation strategy can be further extended to a mini module (substrate: 4 × 4 cm2, active area: 7.2 cm2) as well as a wide-bandgap (∼1.73 eV) Cs/FA perovskite system by delivering PCEs of 16.3% and 20.2%, respectively, demonstrating its universality in defect passivation for efficient PSCs.