Themed collection Perovskite Solar Cells

Guest editors Zhiqun Lin, Nam-Gyu Park and Gang Li introduce this Journal of Materials Chemistry A themed issue on perovskite solar cells.

Polarization and spin-dependent excited states and charge transport.

Perovskite solar cells have received considerable attention in recent years as a promising material capable of developing high performance photovoltaic devices at a low cost.

This review outlines the progress that has been reported on using carbon based nanostructures in perovskite solar cells and discusses their possible further applications to deliver high efficiency, long lifetime, low cost PSCs.

Architectures of perovskite solar cells based on inorganic p-type semiconductor.

This review provides an overview of factors affecting film morphology and how together with device architecture they impact perovskite cell performance.

The understanding of how the chemical stability of PSCs is affected by oxygen and moisture, UV light, the solution process, and temperature was reviewed.

While energy shortage is always an issue, the impending exhaustion of fossil fuel sources makes it an ever increasingly pressing one.

The synergistic interaction between experimentalists and theoreticians discloses the potentialities of hybrid organic–inorganic halide perovskites in their application in photovoltaics.

First-principles calculations help to understand the fundamental mechanisms of the emerging perovskite solar cells and guide further developments.

Spiro-thiophene derivatives act as promising hole transport materials for highly efficient perovskite solar cell application.

Organic solvent vapor introduced during the formation of hybrid perovskite films changes the grain orientation and reduces charge recombination.

Flexible perovskite solar cells with power conversion efficiencies of up to 10.3% have been prepared using titanium foil as an electrode substrate.

Novel modification of the TiO₂/CH₃NH₃PbI₃ interface using glycine as a coupling agent induced higher coverage of perovskite through a two-step solution process.

MAPbI₃ perovskite was found to be able to modify the work function of ITO, leading to sufficient charge extraction efficiency at the ITO/perovskite interface. A device with a high power conversion efficiency of >11% was obtained.

Nonvolatile chlorinated additives can significantly improve the perovskite film morphology, yet adversely influencing CH₃NH₃PbI₃ based planar solar cells.

A rapid annealing technique for CH₃NH₃PbI₃ perovskite solar cells is presented.

Efficient CH₃NH₃PbI₂Br perovskite solar cells have been prepared based on the TiO₂/Al₂O₃/carbon architecture, yielding an appreciable power conversion efficiency of 11.03%.

A facile and quantitative approach has been demonstrated to improve the TiO₂ ETL in perovskite solar cells, with enhanced carrier extraction.

The size effect of the TiO₂ photoanode has been investigated on the hole-conductor-free fully printable mesoscopic perovskite solar cells.

Hybrid organic/inorganic perovskite solar cells are among the most competitive emerging photovoltaic technologies.

CH₃NH₃PbI₃ is deposited as a light absorber on a mesoporous TiO₂ film and the structure and morphology are investigated at different table temperatures and with various amounts of added CH₃NH₃Cl. The optimized device exhibits the highest power conversion efficiency of 12.3% with an average value of 11.2%.

We demonstrate a facile approach for preparing PbI₂-free CH₃NH₃PbI₃ perovskite films via a three-step sequential solution process.

An industrially relevant, scalable deposition route to high quality MAPI films is reported.

We study the formation chemistry of Cl-doped perovskites by examining the chemical interactions between thermally evaporated MAI and PbCl₂ through X-ray photoemission spectroscopy.

Time- and temperature-dependent photocurrent transient analysis suggests that hysteresis effects are associated with multiple charging–discharging processes in perovskite solar cells.

The incorporation of tetrafluoroborate and hexafluorophosphate in halide perovskites is found to result in substantial band gap widening.

Implanting bulk heterojunctions into perovskite solar cells successfully pushes the photoresponse to 970 nm.

C–X bond of alky halide additives cleavages during thermal annealing, resulting in frees halide ions to participate in perovskite formation.

A novel core–shell nanostructured WO₃ is investigated in detail and shown to work successfully as an electron transporting material in hybrid perovskite solar cells. A thin TiO₂ shell reduces charge recombination while highly textured single-crystal WO₃ nanostructures promote fast electron transport leading to an efficiency above 11%.

In this study, we developed a new cathodic buffer layer consisting of a cross-linked [6,6]-phenyl-C₆₁-butyric styryl dendron ester (C-PCBSD) matrix and an ionic FPI dopant.

Blue-luminescent and dispersible organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites can be produced with a high reaction yield and valuable optical properties, such as luminescence quantum yield over 20% and high photostability under UV light. This material can be assembled–disassembled reversibly.

1-Dimensional homogenous nanocolumnar structures prepared without any template method for efficient perovskite solar cell fabrication.

We present calculations of the optical properties of a set of around 80 oxides, oxynitrides, and organometal halide cubic and layered perovskites (Ruddlesden–Popper and Dion–Jacobson phases) with a bandgap in the visible part of the solar spectrum.

We demonstrated compact SnO₂ thin films prepared by sinter-less spin-coating processes as an electron selective contact for CH₃NH₃PbI₃-based planar-heterojunction perovskite solar cells (PSCs).

This article describes a variable temperature solid-state NMR and single crystal X-ray/neutron diffraction study of the hybrid perovskites (CH₃NH₃)PbX₃ (X = I, Br and Cl).

Charge separation and recombination dynamics in Sn/Pb cocktail perovskite solar cells were clarified.

Cross-linked anode interlayers (X-QUPD or X-OTPD) with solvent-resistance provide electron blocking to reduce electron–hole recombination for improving PCE of invert type solution processed perovskite solar cells.

A solution-processable PCBC cathode buffer layer improves the PCE of planar p–i–n perovskite solar cells based on CH₃NH₃PbI_3−xCl_x to 15.08%.

Lead halide perovskite is emerging as a promising semiconductor material for thin film solar cells.

Perovskite solar cells display great commercialization potential. Ethylammonium iodide (EAI) has been used as an additive for perovskite solar cells. The EAI-derived devices displayed enhanced PCEs and long term thermal stability.

In a novel heterojunction solar cell employing CH₃NH₃PbBr₃ (MAPbBr₃) as the light absorber, the introduction of a carboxylate monolayer on the mesoporous TiO₂ surfaces significantly enhances J_SC as well as V_OC.

Preparation of continuous and crystalline metal halide perovskite films for efficient solar cells using a liquid droplet assisted method.

Highly flexible perovskite solar cells with good efficiencies and low hysteresis are prepared using a highly conductive PEDOT:PSS electrode.

A new solution-processing method is demonstrated for the deposition of compact CH₃NH₃PbI₃ perovskite thin films for high-efficiency planar solar cells.

Metal and halogen substitution in hybrid perovskites reveals the interplay between spin–orbit coupling, structural distortions and many-body effects controlling band-gaps.

Scanning electrochemical microscopy measurements show that the regeneration and absorption cross section of CH₃NH₃PbI₃ are higher than conventional sensitizers.

CH₃NH₃PbI₃-based devices exhibiting a PCE of 12.5% have been achieved by annealing the evaporated precursor multilayers and treating the device constituent layers in a well controlled atmosphere.

Alkylammonium lead(II) iodide materials (APbI₃), based on the general formula of CH₃-(CH₂)_n-NH₃PbI₃, may lead to a monumental leap in developing affordable photovoltaics. Herein, we correlate the structure and function relationships of alkylammonium lead(II) iodide in solar cells.

We investigate MASn_xPb_(1−x)I₃ perovskites by first-principles simulations, finding monotonic variation of energy levels and band-gaps, and demonstrating balanced electron/hole transport.

We present the use of halide (PbCl₂) and non-halide lead precursors (Pb(OAc)₂ (OAc = CH₃CH₂COO⁻), Pb(NO₃)₂, Pb(acac)₂ (acac = (CH₃COCHCOCH₃)⁻) and PbCO₃) for the preparation of perovskite solar cells.

Highly luminescent and photostable CH₃NH₃PbBr₃ nanoparticles have been prepared by fine-tuning the molar ratio between CH₃NH₃Br, PbBr₂, a medium-size alkyl-chain ammonium salt, and 1-octadecene.

A HC(NH₂)₂PbI₃ perovskite solar cell based on TiO₂ nanohelices has been developed.

The optical constants of a CH₃NH₃PbI_3−xCl_x perovskite thin film were acquired for the first time.

This work reports on the temperature dependence of mixed perovskite cations, formamidinium and methylammonium, in hole conductor free solar cells.

The size effect of graphite on hole-conductor-free fully printable mesoscopic perovskite solar cells was studied.

MgO ultrathin nanolayers are able to efficiently retard charge recombination in perovskite solar cells.