Sustainable remanufacturing of mesoscopic carbon perovskite solar cells using green solvents

Abstract

We present a green-solvent remanufacturing strategy for mesoscopic carbon-based perovskite solar cells (CPSCs) that enables complete recovery of the printed device stack. By immersing aged devices in γ-valerolactone (GVL), the perovskite absorber can be selectively removed without harming the underlying mesoporous carbon scaffold. Fresh perovskite is then reinfiltrated, restoring up to 89% of the device's first life power conversion efficiency (PCE). This sustainable method offers a promising route toward circularity in scalable perovskite photovoltaic technologies.