High-quality Perovskite Thin Films Research Articles

Making and Breaking of Lead Halide Perovskites.

A new front-runner has emerged in the field of next-generation photovoltaics. A unique class of materials, known as organic metal halide perovskites, bridges the gap between low-cost fabrication and exceptional device performance. These compounds can be processed at low temperature (typically in the range 80-150 °C) and readily self-assemble from the solution phase into high-quality semiconductor thin films. The low energetic barrier for crystal formation has mixed consequences. On one hand, it enables inexpensive processing and both optical and electronic tunability. The caveat, however, is that many as-formed lead halide perovskite thin films lack chemical and structural stability, undergoing rapid degradation in the presence of moisture or heat. To date, improvements in perovskite solar cell efficiency have resulted primarily from better control over thin film morphology, manipulation of the stoichiometry and chemistry of lead halide and alkylammonium halide precursors, and the choice of solvent treatment. Proper characterization and tuning of processing parameters can aid in rational optimization of perovskite devices. Likewise, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the degradation mechanism and identifying components of the perovskite structure that may be particularly susceptible to attack by moisture are vital to mitigate device degradation under operating conditions. This Account provides insight into the lifecycle of organic-inorganic lead halide perovskites, including (i) the nature of the precursor solution, (ii) formation of solid-state perovskite thin films and single crystals, and (iii) transformation of perovskites into hydrated phases upon exposure to moisture. In particular, spectroscopic and structural characterization techniques shed light on the thermally driven evolution of the perovskite structure. By tuning precursor stoichiometry and chemistry, and thus the lead halide charge-transfer complexes present in solution, crystallization kinetics can be tailored to yield improved thin film homogeneity. Because degradation of the as-formed perovskite film is in many ways analogous to its initial formation, the same suite of monitoring techniques reveals the moisture-induced transformation of low band gap methylammonium lead iodide (CH3NH3PbI3) to wide band gap hydrate compounds. The rate of degradation is increased upon exposure to light. Interestingly, the hydration process is reversible under certain conditions. This facile formation and subsequent chemical lability raises the question of whether CH3NH3PbI3 and its analogues are thermodynamically stable phases, thus posing a significant challenge to the development of transformative perovskite photovoltaics. Adequately addressing issues of structural and chemical stability under real-world operating conditions is paramount if perovskite solar cells are to make an impact beyond the benchtop. Expanding our fundamental knowledge of lead halide perovskite formation and degradation pathways can facilitate fabrication of stable, high-quality perovskite thin films for the next generation of photovoltaic and light emitting devices.

High quality perovskite thin films induced by crystal seeds with lead monoxide interfacial engineering

Interfacial engineering is an important method to achieve compact and smooth high-quality perovskite films in a one-step method.

Vapour-assisted multi-functional perovskite thin films for solar cells and photodetectors

High quality perovskite thin films were manufactured via a vapour-assisted process. High efficiency solar cells (PCE up to 12.2%) and high detectivity photodetectors (photodetectivity up to 3 × 1012 Jones) can be fabricated by using the perovskite layer and C60.

Lead Iodide Thin Film Crystallization Control for High-Performance and Stable Solution-Processed Perovskite Solar Cells.

PbI2 thin film crystallization control is a prerequisite of high-quality perovskite thin film for sequentially solution-processed perovskite solar cells. An efficient and simple method has been developed by adding HCl to improve perovskite thin film quality, and an efficiency of 15.2% is obtained. This approach improves coverage, uniformity, and stability of pervoskite thin film.

Efficient and non-hysteresis CH3NH3PbI3/PCBM planar heterojunction solar cells

Highly efficient and non-hysteresis organic/perovskite planar heterojunction solar cells was fabricated by low-temperature, solution-processed method with a structure of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/CH3NH3PbI3/PCBM/Al. The high-quality perovskite thin film was obtained using a solvent-induced-fast-crystallization deposition involving spin-coating the CH3NH3PbI3 solution followed by top-dropping chlorobenzene with an accurate control to induce the crystallization, which results in highly crystalline, pinhole-free, and smooth perovskite thin film. Furthermore, it was found that the molar ratio of CH3NH3I to PbI2 greatly influence the properties of CH3NH3PbI3 film and the device performance. The equimolar or excess PbI2 was facile to form a flat CH3NH3PbI3 film and produced relatively uniform perovskite crystals. Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with high-quality CH3NH3PbI3 thin film showed good performance and excellent repeatability. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) up to 13.49% was achieved, which is one of the highest PCEs obtained for low-temperature, solution-processed planar perovskite solar cells based on the structure ITO/PEDOT:PSS/CH3NH3PbI3/PC61BM/Al. More importantly, PSCs fabricated using this method didn’t show obvious hysteresis under different scan direction and speed.

Hysteretic Behavior upon Light Soaking in Perovskite Solar Cells Prepared via Modified Vapor-Assisted Solution Process.

Recently, the organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells exhibit rapidly rising efficiencies, while anomalous hysteresis in perovskite solar cells remains unsolvable. Herein, a high-quality perovskite thin film is prepared by a modified vapor-assisted solution process, which is a simple but well-controllable method proven to be capable of producing a thin film with full surface coverage and grain size up to micrometers. The as-fabricated perovskite solar cell has efficiency as high as 10.2%. The hysteresis effects of both planar and mesoscopic TiO2-based perovskite solar cells have been comprehensively studied upon illumination. The results demonstrate that mesoporous-based perovskite cells combined with remarkable grain size are subject to alleviating the hysteresis effects in comparison to the planar cells. Likewise, mesoscopic TiO2-based perovskite cells perform independently of illumination and bias conditions prior to the measurements, whereas the planar cells display a reversible behavior of illumination and applied bias-dependent I-V curves. The present study would refer strip road for the stability study of the perovskite solar cells.

Efficient Perovskite Hybrid Solar Cells Through a Homogeneous High-Quality Organolead Iodide Layer.

Fabricating homogeneous and high-quality perovskite thin films via low-temperature solution processing is a challenge to realizing high-efficiency perovskite hybrid solar cells (pero-HSCs). Here, an approach is reported to realize smooth surface morphology of methylammonium lead iodide (CH3 NH3 PbI3 ) perovskite thin films via using strong-polar ethanol solution rather than less-polar isopropanol solution, which was previously used as the solvent for preparing perovskite thin films. In comparison with the pero-HSCs processed from isopropanol solution, more than 40% enhanced efficiency is observed from pero-HSCs processed from ethanol solution. The enhanced efficiency is attributed to a homogeneous high-quality perovskite thin film with dramatically low root-mean-square roughness and completely conversion of lead (II) iodide (PbI2 ) to CH3 NH3 PbI3 . The findings provide a simple way to realize high-efficiency high-reproducible pero-HSCs.

Formation of high-quality perovskite thin film for planar heterojunction solar cells

Solution processing of flat, uniform film can be realized via judicious choice of solvents of the sequential deposition technique which generates mirror-like perovskite film with resemble surface roughness to that from vapor assisted method.

Flexible piezoelectric thin-film energy harvesters and nanosensors for biomedical applications.

The use of inorganic-based flexible piezoelectric thin films for biomedical applications has been actively reported due to their advantages of highly piezoelectric, pliable, slim, lightweight, and biocompatible properties. The piezoelectric thin films on plastic substrates can convert ambient mechanical energy into electric signals, even responding to tiny movements on corrugated surfaces of internal organs and nanoscale biomechanical vibrations caused by acoustic waves. These inherent properties of flexible piezoelectric thin films enable to develop not only self-powered energy harvesters for eliminating batteries of bio-implantable medical devices but also sensitive nanosensors for in vivo diagnosis/therapy systems. This paper provides recent progresses of flexible piezoelectric thin-film harvesters and nanosensors for use in biomedical fields. First, developments of flexible piezoelectric energy-harvesting devices by using high-quality perovskite thin film and innovative flexible fabrication processes are addressed. Second, their biomedical applications are investigated, including self-powered cardiac pacemaker, acoustic nanosensor for biomimetic artificial hair cells, in vivo energy harvester driven by organ movements, and mechanical sensor for detecting nanoscale cellular deflections. At the end, future perspective of a self-powered flexible biomedical system is also briefly discussed with relation to the latest advancements of flexible electronics.

Direct Observation of Ferroelectric Domains in Solution-Processed CH3NH3PbI3 Perovskite Thin Films.

A new generation of solid-state photovoltaics is being made possible by the use of organometal-trihalide perovskite materials. While some of these materials are expected to be ferroelectric, almost nothing is known about their ferroelectric properties experimentally. Using piezoforce microscopy (PFM), here we show unambiguously, for the first time, the presence of ferroelectric domains in high-quality β-CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite thin films that have been synthesized using a new solution-processing method. The size of the ferroelectric domains is found to be about the size of the grains (∼100 nm). We also present evidence for the reversible switching of the ferroelectric domains by poling with DC biases. This suggests the importance of further PFM investigations into the local ferroelectric behavior of hybrid perovskites, in particular in situ photoeffects. Such investigations could contribute toward the basic understanding of photovoltaic mechanisms in perovskite-based solar cells, which is essential for the further enhancement of the performance of these promising photovoltaics.