Issue 16, 2021

Gas flow-assisted vacuum drying: identification of a novel process for attaining high-quality perovskite films

Abstract

Controlling the nucleation and crystal growth in solution-processed metal halide perovskite (MHP) thin films is the pivotal point in fabricating homogenous and pinhole-free films. Using scalable coating and printing techniques, vacuum and gas flow-assisted drying processes turn out to be the most promising methods to induce nucleation and crystallization. Yet, the exact interplay and nature of these processes are unclear. In our work, we optically monitor these processes in situ. For the first time, we can show that a controlled venting of the vacuum chamber and the use of a subsequent gas flow are key to achieve homogenous nucleation. Utilizing this gas flow-assisted vacuum drying process, we find that regular, optically dense and pinhole-free MHP layers can be fabricated via inkjet printing, which yield solar cells with a power conversion efficiency of 16%, as compared to 4.5% for vacuum drying.

Graphical abstract: Gas flow-assisted vacuum drying: identification of a novel process for attaining high-quality perovskite films

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
07 Jun 2021
Accepted
22 Jul 2021
First published
23 Jul 2021
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Mater. Adv., 2021,2, 5365-5370

Gas flow-assisted vacuum drying: identification of a novel process for attaining high-quality perovskite films

F. Mathies, E. R. Nandayapa, G. Paramasivam, M. F. Al Rayes, V. R. F. Schröder, C. Rehermann, E. J. W. List-Kratochvil and E. L. Unger, Mater. Adv., 2021, 2, 5365 DOI: 10.1039/D1MA00494H

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