skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: Antisolvent‐Mediated Air Quench for High‐Efficiency Air‐Processed Carbon‐Based Planar Perovskite Solar Cells
Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have emerged as a leading low‐cost photovoltaic technology, achieving power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of up to 26.1%. However, their commercialization is hindered by stability issues and the need for controlled processing environments. Carbon‐electrode‐based PSCs (C‐PSCs) offer enhanced stability and cost‐effectiveness compared to traditional metal‐electrode PSCs, i.e., Au and Ag. However, processing challenges persist, particularly in air conditions where moisture sensitivity poses a significant hurdle. Herein, a novel air processing technique is presented for planar C‐PSCs that incorporates antisolvent vapors, such as chlorobenzene, into a controlled air‐quenching process. This method effectively mitigates moisture‐induced instability, resulting in champion PCEs exceeding 20% and robust stability under ambient conditions. The approach retains 80% of initial efficiency after 30 h of operation at maximum power point without encapsulation. This antisolvent‐mediated air‐quenching technique represents a significant advancement in the scalable production of C‐PSCs, paving the way for future large‐scale deployment.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2413632
PAR ID:
10545763
Author(s) / Creator(s):
 ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  
Publisher / Repository:
Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Solar RRL
ISSN:
2367-198X
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. null (Ed.)
    While typical perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with doped Spiro-OMeTAD as a hole transport material (HTM) have shown rapid increase in their power-conversion efficiencies (PCEs), their poor stability remains a big concern as the dopants and additives used with Spiro-OMeTAD have a strong tendency to diffuse into and degrade the perovskite active layer under normal operating conditions. Aiming to push forward the development of PSCs, many dopant-free small-molecular HTMs have been reported based on energetic considerations for charge transfer and criteria for charge transport. However, the PCEs of the state-of-the-art PSCs with dopant-free small-molecular HTMs are still inferior to those using doped Spiro-OMeTAD, and little attention has been paid to the interactions between the HTM and perovskite absorber in PSCs. Here, we report a facile design concept to functionalize HTMs so that they can passivate perovskite surface defects and enable perovskite active layers with lower density of surface trap states and more efficient charge transfer to the hole transport layer. As a consequence, perovskite solar cells with a functionalized HTM exhibit a champion PCE of 22.4%, the highest value for PSCs using dopant-free small molecular HTMs to date, and substantively improved operational stability under continuous illumination. With a T 80 of (1617 ± 7) h for encapsulated cells tested at 30 °C in air, the PSCs containing the functionalized HTM are among the most stable PSCs using dopant-free small-molecular HTMs. The effectiveness of our strategy is demonstrated in PSCs comprising both a state-of-the-art MA-free perovskite and MAPbI, a system having more surface defects, and implies the potential generality of our strategy for a broad class of perovskite systems, to further advance highly efficient and stable solar cells. 
    more » « less
  2. Abstract Polymer solar cells (PSCs) with a bulk heterojunction (BHJ) device structure have incredible advantages, such as low‐cost fabrication and flexibility. However, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of BHJ PSCs needs to be further improved to realize their practical applications. In this study, boosted PCEs from PSCs based on BHJ composites incorporated with Fe3O4magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), aligned by an external magnetic field (EMF), are reported. It is found that the coercive electric field within the Fe3O4MNPs generated by the EMF has a strong and positive influence on the charge generation, which results in a more than 10% increase in free charge carriers. Moreover, the coercive electric field speeds up the charge carrier transport and suppresses charge carrier recombination within PSCs. In addition, a shortened extraction time makes charge carriers more likely to make it to the electrodes. As a result, more than 15% enhancement in PCE is observed from the PSCs based on the BHJ composite incorporated with the Fe3O4MNPs and the EMF as compared with that based on the BHJ composite thin film. This work indicates that the incorporation of MNPs and the EMF is a facile way to enhance the PCEs of PSCs. 
    more » « less
  3. Air-processed carbon-based perovskite solar cells (C-PSCs) offer scalable and cost-effective photovoltaic manufacturing but face efficiency loss compared to metal-contact perovskite solar cells. 
    more » « less
  4. Mechanical failure and chemical degradation of device heterointerfaces can strongly influence the long-term stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) under thermal cycling and damp heat conditions. We report chirality-mediated interfaces based onR-/S-methylbenzyl-ammonium between the perovskite absorber and electron-transport layer to create an elastic yet strong heterointerface with increased mechanical reliability. This interface harnesses enantiomer-controlled entropy to enhance tolerance to thermal cycling–induced fatigue and material degradation, and a heterochiral arrangement of organic cations leads to closer packing of benzene rings, which enhances chemical stability and charge transfer. The encapsulated PSCs showed retentions of 92% of power-conversion efficiency under a thermal cycling test (−40°C to 85°C; 200 cycles over 1200 hours) and 92% under a damp heat test (85% relative humidity; 85°C; 600 hours). 
    more » « less
  5. Switching from organic to aqueous solvents for battery electrode processing is desirable due to both safety and cost advantages. Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) is considered a cathode material for aqueous processing due to its demonstrated chemical compatibility with water, in addition to its favorable cost, safety, electrochemical performance, and environmental advantages as a battery active material. All research on LFP stability in water has been conducted in a scenario where LFP is aged in stagnant water, or surrounded by water when confined within a composite electrode. However, a much accelerated degradation in the electrochemical performance of LFP when it is in contact with water and exposed to mechanical agitation is demonstrated. Changes to LFP are probed using a combination of materials characterization methods. Although there are no significant changes to the bulk particle structure and morphology, significant particle surface damage and compositional modifications are observed. These results suggest that the systems where LFP is exposed to agitation in an aqueous environment, such as in aqueous battery electrode processing or in aqueous slurry electrodes, need to be carefully investigated for potential changes to the LFP surface environment under relevant processing conditions. 
    more » « less