Interpenetrating interfaces for efficient perovskite solar cells with high operational stability and mechanical robustness

Qingshun Dong,Liduo Wang,Jingya Guo,Yantao Shi,Nitin P Padture,Min Chen,Yuanyuan Zhou,Zheng Liu,Chen Jiang,Zhenghong Dai,Chao Zhu,Yizhong Huang,Yuqian Li,Srinivas K Yadavalli,Xun Cao,Mingyu Hu,Yulin Feng

doi:10.1038/s41467-021-21292-3

Abstract

The perovskite solar cell has emerged rapidly in the field of photovoltaics as it combines the merits of low cost, high efficiency, and excellent mechanical flexibility for versatile applications. However, there are significant concerns regarding its operational stability and mechanical robustness. Most of the previously reported approaches to address these concerns entail separate engineering of perovskite and charge-transporting layers. Herein we present a holistic design of perovskite and charge-transporting layers by synthesizing an interpenetrating perovskite/electron-transporting-layer interface. This interface is reaction-formed between a tin dioxide layer containing excess organic halide and a perovskite layer containing excess lead halide. Perovskite solar cells with such interfaces deliver efficiencies up to 22.2% and 20.1% for rigid and flexible versions, respectively. Long-term (1000 h) operational stability is demonstrated and the flexible devices show high endurance against mechanical-bending (2500 cycles) fatigue. Mechanistic insights into the relationship between the interpenetrating interface structure and performance enhancement are provided based on comprehensive, advanced, microscopic characterizations. This study highlights interface integrity as an important factor for designing efficient, operationally-stable, and mechanically-robust solar cells.

Highlights

The perovskite solar cell has emerged rapidly in the field of photovoltaics as it combines the merits of low cost, high efficiency, and excellent mechanical flexibility for versatile applications
We demonstrate the use of this interface in flexible perovskite solar cells (PSCs), which results in power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) up to 20.1%
The concentration of FAI in the SnO2 colloidal solution was optimized to 10 mg mL−1 based on the photovoltaic performance of the resulting PSCs

Summary

Introduction

The perovskite solar cell has emerged rapidly in the field of photovoltaics as it combines the merits of low cost, high efficiency, and excellent mechanical flexibility for versatile applications. Conventional interfacial engineering entails either insertion of additional device layers (inorganic nanoparticles, polymers, molecules, etc.) or modification of surfaces using functional organic groups (thiophene, pyridine, etc.) and inorganic dopants (chlorine, alkali, etc.)[17,18,19] This is expected to improve the PCE and stability via optimizing energy-level alignment, improving interface contacts, suppressing structural defects, mitigating photocurrent hysteresis, or tailoring surface hydrophobicity[14,17,20]. These interface-engineering methods may involve additional processing steps, possibly compromise the mechanical integrity of the interfaces in the resulting devices. The devices show remarkable mechanical endurance to repeated cyclic-bending fatigue, with a PCE retention of 85% after 2500 cycles, which is related to the enhanced structural integrity of this new interface as revealed by ex-situ cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterization

Methods

Results

Conclusion