Effects of 100 MeV proton irradiation on the performance of P3HT-based perovskite solar cells

Abstract

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are promising for space applications. In this work, P3HT-based PSCs were irradiated at room temperature with 100 MeV protons to various fluences. The efficiencies of the PSCs were significantly increased by 30–35 % after irradiation with low fluences up to 1 × 1011p/cm2. Meanwhile, the illumination yields and charge carrier lifetime of the perovskite films were found to be improved after irradiation, which is attributed to the irradiation-induced healing of lattice defects in perovskites. When irradiated to a higher fluence of 1 × 1012p/cm2, the transmittance of the glass substrates was distinctly reduced due to the formation of color-center defects, which resulted in the performance degradation of the cells. Considering that P3HT-based PSCs have better thermal stability in outer space than the widely used spiro-OMeTAD-based PSCs, the reported results may have important implications for space applications of PSCs.