A Double Compatibilization Strategy To Boost the Performance of p-i-n Solar Cells Based on Perovskite Deposited in Humid Ambient Air.

Formamidinium lead iodide (FAPI) represents the most promising perovskite for single junction solar cells, exhibiting an impressive performance when deposited in a controlled nitrogen environment. In order to foster the real-world application of this technology, the deposition of FAPI in ambient air is a highly desirable prospect, as it would reduce fabrication costs. This study demonstrates that the wettability of FAPI precursors on the hole transporting layers (HTL) used to fabricate inverted p-i-n solar cells is extremely poor in ambient air, hampering the realization of a perovskite active layer with good optoelectronic quality. To address this issue, herein, a double compatibilization method is developed, which results in the attainment of remarkable performance, exceeding 21%, representing one of the highest reported efficiencies for FAPI solar cells fabricated in humid ambient air. The incorporation of a small quantity of anionic surfactant, comprising a hydrocarbon tail and a polar headgroup, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), in the perovskite solution and an ultrathin layer of alumina nanoparticles on the HTL, results in a significant improvement in the wettability of the FAPI solution. This enables the reproducible deposition of highly homogeneous perovskite films with complete coverage and excellent optical and optoelectronic quality. Furthermore, devices based on FAPI with SDS exhibit enhanced stability, retaining 98% of their initial efficiency after 40 h of continuous illumination.

Formamidinium Perovskite Deposition in Ambient Air Environment for Inverted p-i-n Solar Cells.

In order to move towards large-scale fabrication, perovskite solar cells need to detach themselves from strictly controlled environmental conditions and, to this end, fabrication in ambient air is highly desirable. Formamidinium iodide perovskite (FAPI) is one of the most promising perovskites but is also unstable at room temperature, which may make the ambient air deposition more difficult. Herein, we investigated different formulations of pure FAPI for the fabrication of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) in air. We found that formulations using a mixture of N,N-Dimethylformamide (DMF): N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and only dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) are suitable for the deposition in air. To fabricate inverted p-i-n solar cells, we tested different hole transporting layers (HTLs) and observed the effects on the wettability of the perovskite solution and on the performance. A self-assembly monolayer of 2PACz (2-(9H-Carbazol-9-yl)ethyl]phosphonic acid) was found to be the best option as a HTL, allowing us to achieve efficiencies >15% on both FTO and ITO.

Mimicking Natural Antioxidant Systems for Improved Photostability in Wide-Band-Gap Perovskite Solar Cells.

Fostered by the top power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of lab-scale devices, industrialization of perovskite solar cells is underway. Nevertheless, the intrinsically poor stability of these materials still represents a major concern. Herein, inspired by Nature, the use of ß-carotene in perovskite solar cells is proposed to mimic its role as a protective pigment, as occurs in natural photosynthesis. Laser-mediated photostability (LMPS) assessment, Fourier-transform infrared spectra analysis acquired in attenuate total reflectance (ATR-FTIR), spectroscopy ellipsometry (SE), and time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) measurements under stress conditions prove that the inclusion of a thin ß-carotene interlayer promotes a high improvement in the photostability of the perovskite films against photooxidation. Importantly, this is accompanied by an improvement of the solar cell PCE that approaches 20% efficiency with no hysteresis, which is among the highest values reported for a mixed halide (I-Br) perovskite with a band gap of 1.74 eV, relevant for coupling with silicon in tandem cells.