Issue 41, 2019

Self-assembled propylammonium cations at grain boundaries and the film surface to improve the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells

Abstract

The major challenge of bringing organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells towards commercialization is their inherent instability especially with regard to moisture. The introduction of a small amount of hydrophobic cations of large size into a 3D perovskite structure which typically aids in the formation of a quasi-2D perovskite structure has been shown to be a promising method for maintaining high efficiency while introducing a high stability toward moisture. By comparing a family of different cations, the propylammonium (PA) cation is found to be the most effective in mitigating these instability issues. Via femtosecond transient absorption and reflection spectroscopy, the large cations are found to preferentially accumulate at the grain boundaries and film surface, forming heterostructures and preventing moisture penetration. The preferential crystal orientation, crystallization, and grain size in both lateral and vertical directions are enhanced accordingly, in particular when PA is incorporated into the perovskite active layer. Such self-assembled large cations suppress charge recombination and enhance device efficiency. Along with enhancements to efficiency, the addition of the PA cation significantly improves both device and precursor stabilities.

Graphical abstract: Self-assembled propylammonium cations at grain boundaries and the film surface to improve the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
15 фев 2019
Accepted
17 апр 2019
First published
17 апр 2019

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2019,7, 23739-23746

Author version available

Self-assembled propylammonium cations at grain boundaries and the film surface to improve the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells

C. Fei, M. Zhou, J. Ogle, Detlef-M. Smilgies, L. Whittaker-Brooks and H. Wang, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2019, 7, 23739 DOI: 10.1039/C9TA01755K

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements