Improved performance and stability of perovskite solar cells by incorporating gamma-aminobutyric acid in CH3NH3PbI3

Abstract

Organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites have attracted enormous attention due to their remarkable properties for high-efficiency solar cells in recent years. However, controlling the morphology of perovskite films is still a challenge using a solution synthesis method. Perovskite films with incomplete coverage are inevitable and this significantly limits the device photoelectric performance and long-term stability. In this work, we have combined gamma-aminobutyric acid iodide (GABAI) and CH₃NH₃I (MAI) as a mixed amine source in a precursor solution to fabricate a mixed-cation perovskite (GABA)_xMA_1−xPbI₃. As a result, high quality (GABA)_xMA_1−xPbI₃ crystals were synthesized and showed better pore-filling and more complete contact with the TiO₂ scaffold, enhancing the power conversion efficiency from 15.08 to 18.31% with respect to the controlled MAPbI₃ solar cells. Importantly, the devices that contained GABA⁺ also showed much higher stability when compared to the reference MAPbI₃ devices. This new chemical modification design, using bifunctional mixed cations in organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites, provides an efficient approach for improving both the performance and stability simultaneously.