Comparative analysis of recycling strategies for high-yield fabrication of PSCs: Resolving residual impurity challenges via targeted post-treatment

Abstract

The sustainable deployment of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is critically hindered by the lack of efficient recycling strategies for end-of-life (EOL) modules, which pose significant environmental and resource challenges. In this work, we systematically compare conventional single-solvent (SS) recycling with an advanced layer-by-layer multi-solvent (MS) approach for the recovery of functional device components from degraded PSCs. Comprehensive surface and compositional analyses reveal that both SS and MS protocols leave persistent residues, particularly carbon (C), cesium (Cs), and lead (Pb), on the recycled substrates, undermining substrate integrity and limiting their reuse in high-performance devices. To overcome these limitations, we introduce a targeted post-treatment process that effectively eliminates residual contaminants, restoring the substrates to a state comparable to pristine materials. Devices fabricated on these post-treated substrates exhibit a markedly improved fabrication yield and a significantly narrower distribution of power conversion efficiency (PCE) with a variation of just 2.5% across 16 devices, compared to 6% for conventional recycling methods. Furthermore, our techno-economic analysis demonstrates that the proposed recycling protocol reduces the levelized cost of energy by 0.4 to 0.9 ¢/kWh and shortens the energy payback time by 20 to 40 days relative to modules fabricated on fresh substrates, with module PCE, degradation rate, and system lifetime as key determinants. These findings establish a robust framework for high-yield, economically viable, and environmentally responsible recycling of PSCs, thereby advancing their prospects as a sustainable photovoltaic technology