Improved Moisture Stability of Perovskite Solar Cells Using N719 Dye Molecules

Abstract

Metal‐halide perovskite solar cells (PSC) have shown great success in achieving high efficiencies but less satisfaction in achieving long‐term stability. Perovskites are prone to forming perovskite hydrates in humid environments, which leads to the decomposition of the perovskite materials. Herein, a common and cheap dye molecule, called cis‐di(thiocyanato)bis(2,2‐bipyridyl4,4‐dicarboxylate)ruthenium(II), denoted as N719, is introduced into mixed‐cation mixed‐halide perovskites for better moisture stability. It is discovered that the N719 molecules form perovskite‐dye complexes in the precursor solution, leading to larger grains and better film crystallinity by slowing down the crystallization process. Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction characterizations suggest that the N719 molecules exist in the crystallized perovskite films but are not incorporated into the perovskite crystal lattice. The presence of N719 molecules in perovskite films greatly retards the formation of perovskite hydrates due to a three‐times‐increased water migration barrier. Owing to these improvements, nonencapsulated N719‐PSC retain over 80% of their original efficiencies after aging under a high relative humidity of 60% for 250 h, which is three times longer than that for pristine cells. A cheap and effective route for controlling the perovskite crystallization process and improving the stability of PSC without sacrificing device efficiency is represented.