Self-assembled propylammonium cations at grain boundaries and the film surface to improve the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells

The major challenge of bringing organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells towards commercialization is their inherent instability especially with regard to moisture. The introduction of a small amount of hydrophobic cations of large size into a 3D perovskite structure which typically aids in t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of materials chemistry. A, Materials for energy and sustainability Materials for energy and sustainability, 2019, Vol.7 (41), p.23739-23746
Main Authors: Fei, Chengbin, Zhou, Meng, Ogle, Jonathan, Smilgies, Detlef-M, Whittaker-Brooks, Luisa, Wang, He
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Boundaries
Cations
Commercialization
Crystal structure
Crystallization
Efficiency
Grain boundaries
Grain size
Heterostructures
Hydrophobicity
Moisture
Perovskite structure
Perovskites
Photovoltaic cells
Recombination
Self-assembly
Solar cells
Spectroscopy
Surface stability
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Summary:The major challenge of bringing organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells towards commercialization is their inherent instability especially with regard to moisture. The introduction of a small amount of hydrophobic cations of large size into a 3D perovskite structure which typically aids in the formation of a quasi-2D perovskite structure has been shown to be a promising method for maintaining high efficiency while introducing a high stability toward moisture. By comparing a family of different cations, the propylammonium (PA) cation is found to be the most effective in mitigating these instability issues. Via femtosecond transient absorption and reflection spectroscopy, the large cations are found to preferentially accumulate at the grain boundaries and film surface, forming heterostructures and preventing moisture penetration. The preferential crystal orientation, crystallization, and grain size in both lateral and vertical directions are enhanced accordingly, in particular when PA is incorporated into the perovskite active layer. Such self-assembled large cations suppress charge recombination and enhance device efficiency. Along with enhancements to efficiency, the addition of the PA cation significantly improves both device and precursor stabilities. Large size cation (PA) was introduced into the grain boundary and film surface of the 3D perovskite to improve the solar cell efficiency and moisture stability.
ISSN:2050-7488
2050-7496
DOI:10.1039/c9ta01755k