Rajarshi
Roy
a,
Mahdi Malekshahi
Byranvand
*a,
Mohamed Reza
Zohdi
a,
Theresa
Magorian Friedlmeier
c,
Chittaranjan
Das
a,
Wolfram
Hempel
c,
Weiwei
Zuo
a,
Mayank
Kedia
ab,
Jose Jeronimo
Rendon
a,
Stephan
Boehringer
a,
Bekele
Hailegnanw
a,
Michael
Vorochta
e,
Sascha
Mehl
f,
Monika
Rai‡
a,
Ashish
Kulkarni
*bd,
Sanjay
Mathur
d and
Michael
Saliba
*ab
aInstitute for Photovoltaics (ipv), University of Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany. E-mail: mahdi.malekshahi@ipv.uni-stuttgart.de; michael.saliba@ipv.uni-stuttgart.de
bHelmholtz Young Investigator Group FRONTRUNNER, IEK-5 Photovoltaics, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany. E-mail: a.kulkarni@fz-juelich.de
cZentrum für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung (ZSW), 70563, Stuttgart, Germany. E-mail: theresa.friedlmeier@zsw-bw.de; wolfram.hempel@zsw-bw.de
dInstitute of Inorganic and Materials Chemistry, University of Cologne, Greinstr. 6, 50939 Cologne, Germany
eFaculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, V Holešovičkách 2, 18000 Prague, Czech Republic
fElettra Sincrotrone, Strada Statale 14 km, 34149 Basovizza, Trieste, Italy
First published on 8th January 2025
All-inorganic perovskites, such as CsPbI2Br, have emerged as promising compositions due to their enhanced thermal stability. However, they face significant challenges due to their susceptibility to humidity. In this work, CsPbI2Br perovskite is treated with poly(3-hexylthiophen-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) during the crystallization resulting in significant stability improvements against thermal, moisture and steady-state operation stressors. The perovskite solar cell retains ∼90% of the initial efficiency under relative humidity (RH) at ∼60% for 30 min, which is among the most stable all-inorganic perovskite devices to date under such harsh conditions. Furthermore, the P3HT treatment ensures high thermal stress tolerance at 250 °C for over 5 h. In addition to the stability enhancements, the champion P3HT-treated device shows a higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 13.5% compared to 12.7% (reference) with the stabilized power output (SPO) for 300 s. In addition, the P3HT-protected perovskite layer in ambient conditions shows ∼75% of the initial efficiency compared to the unprotected devices with ∼28% of their initial efficiency after 7 days of shelf life.
Broader contextMetal halide perovskites have achieved a significant milestone by reaching >26% efficiency in recent years. Along with that, the remarkable stability improvement of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) makes it of interest for industry. All-inorganic perovskite solar cells have emerged as a promising candidates due to its robustness against heat. However, the stability against humidity remains a major concern. In this article, we use a polymeric overlayer to protect the perovskite absorber. We demonstrate the efficacy of our approach using various stability tests under high temperature and high humidity along with direct exposure of the perovskite films to water. |
At the same time, apart from thermal degradation or chemical decomposition in a humid environment, there is also an inherent instability of the photoactive phase of all-inorganic perovskites at room temperature: Among the CsPbX3 perovskite compositions, CsPbI3 (bandgap of 1.7 eV) exhibits a phase instability at room temperature, i.e. a transition from the photoactive black phase (α) to the photoinactive yellow phase (δ).21 CsPbBr3 (bandgap of 2.3 eV), on the other hand, absorbs poorly beyond 540 nm.22,23 As a trade-off, a mixed-halide CsPbI2Br composition shows a lower bandgap of 1.9 eV (with Shockley–Queisser limit of 24.7%) and better phase stability than CsPbI3, thus positioning it as a promising candidate for thermally stable single-junction PSCs or multijunction applications.24 While studies have shown improvements in phase stability,25–33 achieving stability against moisture (full exposure to water) and heat (>200 °C) remains challenging, necessitating the development of innovative strategies to address these challenges.
In this study, we present an effective strategy to enhance the moisture and thermal stability of the CsPbI2Br perovskite films through polymer additive-assisted antisolvent engineering. An optimized amount of poly(3-hexylthiophen-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) polymer is introduced during the antisolvent dripping step, improving the perovskite crystallization. Our characterizations confirm the formation of a thin P3HT layer and the formation of CH3Br-organic adduct on the surface of the perovskite film. This may also contribute to the enhancement of the interfacial junction between the perovskite and the HTL, leading to a device stability improvement. This may stem from the reduction of dangling bonds on the surface of the perovskite film, thus achieving a better interface. Upon exposure to moisture at relative humidity (RH) ∼60% for 30 min, the devices retained 90% of their initial PCE. Additionally, when subjected to heating at 250 °C under ambient conditions for 300 min the devices retained ∼50% of their initial PCE underlining the necessity for protection against moisture. Furthermore, the shelf life stability data demonstrates that, on average, the devices retained ∼75% of their initial PCE for 7 consecutive days of measurement under 1-sun condition. The P3HT-treated device exhibited a notable enhancement in the fill factor (FF), >82%, compared to the reference device (without any treatment) with a FF of 79% underlining the improved interface resulting from the P3HT treatment.
![]() | ||
Scheme 1 Schematic illustration of perovskite film processing and perovskite device with and without P3HT-protection layer. |
For P3HT-protection layer modification, from various film characterizations such as the X-ray diffraction (XRD) (Fig. S1, ESI†), scanning electron microscope (SEM) top-view (Fig. S2, ESI†), and from the device statistics (Fig. S3, ESI†) 6 mg mL−1 of P3HT-protection layer concentration was found to be the optimum and carried on for further characterizations. From here, for convenience, the perovskite devices and films modified with this P3HT interlayer concentration are referred to as “P3HT-protected” in comparison to the unmodified one as “unprotected”.
To analyse the influence of P3HT-protection layer on the perovskite layer absorbance, we carried out UV-vis absorption measurements. The absorption spectra in Fig. 1(A) show no change in absorbance between the unprotected and the P3HT-protected substrates, indicating that the P3HT-protection layer at varying concentrations does not affect the optical properties of perovskite film (Fig. S4, ESI†). Additionally, the XRD measurement (Fig. 1(B)) reveals major characteristic peaks at 2θ = 14.6° and 29.8°, corresponding to the α-phase of the perovskite, with no traces of δ-phase at ∼10°. Interestingly, the perovskite peak intensity is slightly higher with lower Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) (Fig. S5, ESI†) for the P3HT-protected compared to the unprotected. We posit that this is primarily due to the formation of a better interface between the perovskite absorber layer and the HTL by the P3HT treatment. This additionally results in a perovskite layer with fewer defects, leading to better crystallinity. From the SEM images in Fig. 1(C), the unprotected film exhibits a non-flat surface with high coverage, which transforms into a fully covered morphology with the addition of the P3HT layer on top of it (Fig. 1(D)). The effect of the P3HT protection over the perovskite layer is further evident from the atomic force microscopy (AFM) images for the unprotected and P3HT-protected films in Fig. 1(G) and (H). The root mean square (RMS) roughness of the perovskite film has decreased from 18 ± 1 nm for the unprotected to 12 ± 1 nm for the P3HT-protected approach. The improved uniformity is further verified by the surface SEM as shown in Fig. S6 (ESI†). In comparison to unprotected perovskite film (with an average grain size of 104 nm), the P3HT-protected film has shown a smaller grain size of 95 nm which is consistent with the improved interface for the P3HT route. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements were carried out to quantify the charge transport properties at the perovskite and P3HT interface. As depicted in Fig. 1(E), the P3HT-protected film shows significant PL quenching compared to the unprotected film, suggesting fast charge extraction attributable to the P3HT-protection layer compared to the unprotected film. This is further corroborated by the time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) measurement: TRPL measurement is performed to further understand the carrier transfer dynamics at the perovskite/HTL interface, and the results are shown in Fig. 1(F). The TRPL curves are fitted with the biexponential decay function as shown in Table S1 (ESI†).
In addition to the phase stability, one of the main hurdles for the all-inorganic perovskite is stability against high temperature and humidity. Therefore, we have investigated the stability improvement of the perovskite films under different conditions, such as high humidity (∼60%), high thermal stress of 250 °C, and by dipping the perovskite films in water. For the humidity test, the structural stabilities of the unprotected and P3HT-protected perovskite films were evaluated using the XRD measurements, and the results are shown in Fig. 2(A) and (B), respectively. For fresh samples, the XRD measurements are performed directly after the deposition for both the unprotected and P3HT-protected films. To test the stability of perovskite films (unprotected and P3HT-protected) against humidity, the XRD measurement was carried out after aging for 30 min (with 10 min time intervals) in a closed controlled chamber with RH ∼ 60%. As can be seen in Fig. 2(A), for the unprotected films, after aging for 10 min in RH ∼60%, the XRD pattern shows the appearance of the δ-phase peak at 2θ = 10.6° indicating the degradation of the perovskite black phase. The XRD peak intensity of δ-phase increases with further aging. After 30 min of aging, the α-phase of the perovskite deteriorates completely as the peak at 2θ = 14.6° significantly reduces and a strong intense peak corresponding to the degraded yellow phase appears. On the other hand, for the P3HT-protected perovskite film, the XRD pattern shows negligible change in the XRD peak intensity at 2θ = 14.6° and 29.8°, implying enhanced stability. Furthermore, it is worth noting that only a minimal amount of the δ-phase forms after a 30 min aging period, as shown in Fig. 2(B). Along with the δ-phase peak, the formation of the PbI2 peak also emerges at 2θ = 12.6° for the unprotected devices with aging. However, in the case of the P3HT-protected films, the formation of the PbI2 peak is negligible even after 30 min of aging. The slower formation of the δ-phase and PbI2 peak at RH ∼ 60% emphasizes the improved perovskite stability and film quality attributed to the presence of the P3HT-protection layer. This improvement is further supported by the contact angle measurement under ambient conditions as shown in Fig. S9 (ESI†). The unprotected film shows contact angle of 14.7°, implying a more hydrophilic surface, where the P3HT-protected surface is more hydrophobic with a contact angle of 93.7°.
![]() | ||
Fig. 2 XRD pattern of (A) unprotected and (B) P3HT-protected perovskite films under 60% humidity conditions, (C) and (D) unprotected and P3HT-protected perovskite films under thermal stress. |
For the thermal stability tests, the XRD is recorded by exposing the unprotected and P3HT-protected films to 250 °C under ambient humidity conditions. The results are shown in Fig. 2(C) and (D), respectively. Under high thermal stress, the unprotected perovskite films transform from the photoactive black phase to the photoinactive yellow phase while the P3HT-protected perovskite film shows a stable black phase even after 300 min of exposing to high temperature.
To access the stability enhancement through the P3HT interface engineering, we have conducted the water dipping test on the films. Fig. 3(A) and (C) show the effect of P3HT-protection layer when dipped in water compared to the unprotected. Fig. 3(B) and (D) show the XRD pattern for the unprotected and P3HT-protected films respectively after dipping in water. The P3HT-protected film has retained the perovskite layer for more than 30 s without significant change in the colour compared to the unprotected which has shown a rapid colour change from brown to yellow after 5 s submersion in water. This observation is supported by the corresponding XRD plots. Upon water dipping, the unprotected film (Fig. 3(B)) exhibited a δ-peak at 10.6° and a PbI2 peak at 12.6° immediately, with a degraded perovskite peak at 14.6°. After 10 s, the unprotected film shows complete degradation with a highly intense PbI2 peak. In contrast, the P3HT-protected film, after 5 s of dipping, displays only a negligible amount of degradation with a small amount of PbI2 peak while maintaining a strong intense perovskite peak at 14.6°, indicating the additional stability provided by the P3HT interlayer (Fig. 3(D)). Continued water exposure led to a gradual degradation of the perovskite peak after 30 s for the P3HT-protected film, accompanied by the appearance of the PbI2 peak at 12.6° and the δ-peak. This indicates that the incorporation of the P3HT-protection layer during the perovskite crystallization plays a significant role in providing additional stability to the perovskite layer by shielding it from exposure to water molecules.
The device processing is outlined and explained in Scheme 1. Fig. 4(A)–(D) represent the device statistics and shows a significant increase in all the device parameters especially in the FF. The unprotected PSCs show an average short-circuit current (JSC) = (12.5 ± 0.5) mA cm−2 (n = 38), open-circuit voltage (VOC) = (1.13 ± 0.03) V, and FF = (73.0 ± 5.0)% and PCE of (11 ± 1.7)% where the P3HT-protected devices show an average JSC = (13.5 ± 0.8) mA cm−2 (n = 44), VOC = (1.15 ± 0.6) V, FF = (79 ± 2.0)% and PCE of (11 ± 2.3)%. Fig. 4(E) shows the best-performing current density–voltage (J–V) characteristic curves of the unprotected and P3HT-protected devices (measured in a reverse scan) along with the stabilized power output (SPO) measurement over 300 s under 1-sun illumination. The best-performing device parameters for unprotected and P3HT-protected devices are presented in Table 1.
Device | J SC (mA cm−2) | V OC (V) | FF (%) | PCE (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Unprotected | 13.6 | 1.17 | 79.6 | 12.7 |
Average photovoltaic parameters | 12.5 ± 0.5 | 1.13 ± 0.03 | 73.0 ± 5.0 | 11 ± 1.7 |
Median | 12.55 | 1.15 | 73.31 | 11.00 |
P3HT-protected | 14.0 | 1.17 | 82.2 | 13.5 |
Average photovoltaic parameters | 13.5 ± 0.8 | 1.15 ± 0.6 | 79 ± 2.0 | 11 ± 2.3 |
Median | 13.31 | 1.16 | 78.30 | 12.23 |
The significant FF improvement is likely due to the enhanced interfacial connection between the perovskite and the HTL via the P3HT-protection layer, as well as reduced surface recombination. In addition to the FF, there is also a slight increase in the photocurrent for the devices with the P3HT-protection layer (14 mA cm−2), aligning well with the JSC (13.6 mA cm−2) obtained from the external quantum efficiency (EQE) measurement, as shown in Fig. S10 (ESI†), implying excellent hole transport capability via the P3HT protection and emphasizing the role of charge transport layer in enhancing the JSC.35 Additionally, to explore the impact of the P3HT-protection layer in the presence of another HTL, devices were fabricated using spiro-MeOTAD as the HTL, as illustrated in Fig. S11 and S12 (ESI†). In addition, the device stability test has been performed under 80 °C for the P3HT-protected devices and unprotected devices (with P3HT or, spiro as HTL) as shown in Fig. S13 (ESI†). The stability test is performed in ambient condition for 450 mins retaining >90% of the PCEInitial and in N2 condition for 100 h retaining ∼80% of the PCEInitial for the P3HT-protected devices. However, the overall device performance is notably superior when using P3HT as the HTL with the P3HT-protection layer. Fig. 4(F) represents the shelf life stability of the unprotected and P3HT-protected devices over 7 days of measurement in ambient humidity conditions. P3HT-protected devices have retained ∼75% of their initial PCE, while the unprotected devices retain only ∼28% of their initial value. To further understand the effect of stability on the device performance, we have fabricated CsPbI2Br devices based on unprotected and P3HT-protected films under RH ∼60%. P3HT-protected perovskite films retained ∼90% of the initial PCE while the unprotected devices completely degraded after the aging test as shown in Fig. 4(G). This corroborates the XRD pattern (Fig. 2(A) and (B)) and signifies the importance of the P3HT-protecttion layer to enhance the stability of the inorganic perovskite against high humidity atmosphere. To understand the prolonged stability of P3HT-protected perovskite thin films, we fabricated devices with perovskites exposed to 250 °C and performed the thermal J–V measurements in Fig. 4(H). As can be seen, the aged P3HT-protected device still retained more than 50% of its initial PCE after aging for 300 min whereas for the unprotected devices, the average PCE decreased to less than 25% after the thermal aging test. These results correspond well with the thermal XRD data as shown earlier in Fig. 2(C) and (D) followed by gives us a strong implication on the stability improvement with the P3HT-protection layer under robust conditions and stress factors. The role of P3HT-protection layer is further tested over devices with spiro HTL at RH ∼ 60% (for 30 min) and temperature at 80 °C (for 300 min) as shown in S14 (ESI†). The devices with P3HT-protection showed extensive stability where under both conditions the unprotected devices rapidly degraded, implying the efficacy of the interface engineering strategy over other HTM.
Footnotes |
† Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ee02385d |
‡ Current adress: Institute for Materials Research (IMO-IMOMEC), University of Hasselt, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium. |
This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2025 |