Search

Since their introduction in 2017, the efficiency of lead‐free halide perovskite solar cells based on Cs₂AgBiBr₆ has not exceeded 3%. The limiting bottlenecks are attributed to a low electron diffusion length, self‐trapping events and poor selectivity of the contacts, leading to large non‐radiative VOC losses. Here, 2D/3D hybrid double perovskites are introduced for the first time, using phenethyl ammonium as the constituting cation. The resulting solar cells show an increased efficiency of up to 2.5% for the champion cells and 2.03% on average, marking an improvement by 10% compared to the 3D reference on mesoporous TiO₂. The effect is mainly due to a VOC improvement by up to 70 mV on average, yielding a maximum VOC of 1.18 V using different concentrations of phenethylammonium bromide. While these are among the highest reported VOC values for Cs₂AgBiBr₆ solar cells, the effect is attributed to a change in recombination behavior within the full device and a better selectivity at the interface toward the hole transporting material (HTM). This explanation is supported by voltage‐dependent external quantum efficiency, as well as photoelectron spectroscopy, revealing a better energy level alignment and thus a better hole‐extraction and improved electron blocking at the HTM interface.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) represent one of the most promising emerging photovoltaic technologies due to their high power conversion efficiency. However, despite the huge progress made not only in terms of the efficiency achieved, but also fundamental understanding of the relevant physics of the devices and issues which affect their efficiency and stability, there are still unresolved problems and obstacles on the path toward commercialization of this promising technology. In this roadmap, we aim to provide a concise and up to date summary of outstanding issues and challenges, and the progress made toward addressing these issues. While the format of this article is not meant to be a comprehensive review of the topic, it provides a collection of the viewpoints of the experts in the field, which covers a broad range of topics related to PSC commercialization, including those relevant for manufacturing (scaling up, different types of devices), operation and stability (various factors), and environmental issues (in particular the use of lead). We hope that the article will provide a useful resource for researchers in the field and that it will facilitate discussions and move forward toward addressing the outstanding challenges in this fast-developing field.

Due to their excellent thermal stability and ideal bandgap, metal halide inorganic perovskite based solar cells (PSCs) with inverted structure are considered as an excellent choice for perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells. However, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of inverted inorganic perovskite solar cells (PSCs) still lags far behind that of conventional n-i-p PSCs due to interfacial energy level mismatch and high nonradiative charge recombination. Herein, the performance of inverted PSCs is significantly improved by interfacial engineering of CsPbI3- x Brx films with 2-mercapto-1-methylimidazole (MMI). It is found that the mercapto group can preferably react with the undercoordinated Pb2+ from perovskite by forming Pb-S bonds, which appreciably reduces the surface trap density. Moreover, MMI modification results in a better energy level alignment with the electron-transporting material, promoting carrier transfer and reducing voltage deficit. The above combination results in an open-circuit voltage enhancement by 120 mV, yielding a champion PCE of 20.6% for 0.09 cm2 area and 17.3% for 1 cm2 area. Furthermore, the ambient, operational and heat stabilities of inorganic PSCs with MMI modification are also greatly improved. The work demonstrates a simple but effective approach for fabricating highly efficient and stable inverted inorganic PSCs.

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites exhibit outstanding performances in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, the complex solution chemistry of perovskites precursors renders it difficult to prepare large-area devices in a reproducible way, which is a prerequisite for the technology to make an impact beyond lab scale. Vacuum processing, instead, is an established technology for large-scale coating of thin films. However, with respect to the hybrid perovskites it is highly challenging due to the high vapor pressure of the organic ammonium halide. In this work, vacuum evaporation of lead iodide and solution processing of organic ammonium halide is combined to produce large-area homogeneous perovskite films with large grains in a highly reproducible way. The resulting PSCs achieve a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 24.3% (certified 23.9%) on small area (0.10 cm2 ), 24.0% (certified 23.7%) on large area (1 cm2 ) and 20.0% for minimodule (16 cm2 ), and maintain 90% of its initial efficiency after 1000 h 1-sun operation. The vacuum evaporation prevents advert environmental effects on lead halide formation and guarantees a reproducible fabrication of high-quality large-area perovskite films, which opens a promising way for large-scale fabrication of perovskite optoelectronics.

Until now, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrensulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is widely used in Sn-Pb perovskite solar cells (PSCs) due to its many advantages, including high optical transparency, suitable conductivity, superior wettability, and so on. However, the acidic and hydroscopic properties of the PSS component, as well as the incongruous energy level of the hole transport layer (HTL), may lead to unsatisfying interface properties and decreased device performance. Herein, by adding polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate (PEGDMA) into PEDOT:PSS, a newly crosslinked-double-network obtain of PEDOT:PSS@PEGDMA film, which could not only optimize nucleation and crystallinity of Sn-Pb perovskite films, but also suppress defect density and optimize energy level alignment at the HTL/perovskite interface. As a result, the achieves highly efficient and stable mixed Sn-Pb PSCs with an encouraging power conversion efficiency of 20.9%. Additionally, the device can maintain good stability under N2 atmosphere.

Photon recycling is a process occurring in a semiconductor with high internal luminescence quantum yield and overlap in the absorption and emission spectra. Emitted photons, generated by a band-to-band recombination event get reabsorbed in the material, generate an electron-hole pair that subsequently emits a further photon and so on. This leads to changes in the emission spectrum and an enhanced occupation of both photonic and electronic density of states, which can be exploited in optoelectronic devices such as solar cells and light-emitting diodes. In this chapter, photon recycling (PR) in metal halide perovskites is discussed including theory and experimental observations of the phenomenon. Focus is on modeling PR in thin-film systems based on detailed-balance, ray-optics, and full-wave approaches. Based on the simulation results, an outlook is given on potential experimental strategies of photonic design for solar cells and LEDs.

Herein, it is shown that machine learning (ML) methods can be used to predict the parameter that limits the solar-cell performance most significantly, solely based on the current density–voltage (J–V) curve under illumination. The data (11’150 J–V curves) to train the model is based on device simulation, where 20 different physical parameters related to charge transport and recombination are varied individually. This approach allows to cover a wide range of effects that could occur when varying fabrication conditions or during degradation of a device. Using ML, the simulated J–V curves are classified for the changed parameter with accuracies above 80%, where Random Forests perform best. It turns out that the key parameters, short-circuit current density, open-circuit voltage, maximum power conversion efficiency, and fill factor are sufficient for accurate predictions. To show the practical relevance, the ML algorithms are then applied to reported devices, and the results are discussed from a physics perspective. It is demonstrated that if some specified conditions are met, satisfying results can be reached. The proposed workflow can be used to better understand a device's behavior, e.g., during degradation, or as a guideline to improve its performance without costly and time-consuming lab-based trial-and-error methods.

Metal halide perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) are a promising technology for energy-efficient and cost-effective lighting and displays, thanks to their tunable color emission, high brightness, color purity and low-temperature fabrication. However, the mixed ionic-electronic conductivity of perovskite materials presents unique challenges, as ionic defects can redistribute under operation, affecting the energy landscape and charge recombination mechanisms. Our drift-diffusion simulations establish a connection between the transient electroluminescence (TrEL) signals of PeLEDs under pulsed operation and the influence of mobile ions. We find that the TrEL plateau value's dependence on the duty cycle and end-of-pulse overshoot can be explained by the time-varying distribution of ionic defects. The inclusion of mobile ions is crucial to understand the TrEL response. Moreover, the simulations highlight injection barriers at the perovskite/charge-transport layer interfaces, such as is the case for the hole transport layer in our example, as a significant source of non-radiative charge recombination. These findings contribute to the understanding of transient ionic processes in perovskite-based devices. This study explores ionic redistribution in perovskite LEDs during pulsed operation, using drift-diffusion simulations to analyze the impact of mobile ionic defects on light emission and providing insights into the functionality of these promising devices., Funding Agencies|European Union [851676]

The interfaces of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are well known to be rich in deep-level carrier traps, which serve as non-radiative recombination centers and limit the open-circuit voltage (Voc) and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of PSCs. Defect chemistry and surface passivators have been researched extensively and mainly focused on the neutralization of uncoordinated lead or anion defects. Herein, a novel brominated passivator 2-bromophenethylammonium iodide (2-Br-PEAI) is introduced for a multi-functional passivation effect at the perovskite interface. The brominated species readily form 2D perovskite on top of the 3D perovskite and multi-interact with the 3D perovskite surface. Apart from the halide vacancy filling and anion bonding ability, the Br atoms on the benzene ring can interact with the FA cations via strong hydrogen bonding N-H ⋯ Br and interact with the [PbI6]4− inorganic framework. The interface defects in the PSCs are well passivated, minimizing non-radiative recombination and enhancing device performance. As a result, a champion PCE of 24.22% was achieved with high Voc and fill factor. In addition, modified devices also showed enhanced operational stability (retention of >95% initial PCE after 400 h) and humidity resistance (>90% initial PCE maintained after 1500 h under ~50% RH).

Vacuum evaporation is promising for the high-throughput fabrication of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) because of its solvent-free characteristic, precise control of film thickness, and compatibility with large-scale production. Nevertheless, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of PSCs fabricated by vacuum evaporation lags behind that of solution-processed PSCs. Here, we report a Cl-containing alloy-mediated sequential vacuum evaporation approach to fabricate perovskite films. The presence of Cl in the alloy facilitates organic ammonium halide diffusion and the subsequent perovskite conversion reaction, leading to homogeneous pinhole-free perovskite films with few defects. The resulting PSCs yield a PCE of 24.42%, 23.44% (certified 22.6%), and 19.87% for 0.1, 1.0, and 14.4 square centimeters (mini-module, aperture area), respectively. The unencapsulated PSCs show good stability with negligible decline in performance after storage in dry air for more than 4000 hours. Our method provides a reproducible approach for scalable fabrication of large-area, high-efficiency PSCs and other perovskite-based optoelectronics.

Methylammonium (MA)-free perovskites such as CsxFA1-xPbX3 (CsFA) show excellent thermal stability, favoring their use in perov-skite solar cells (PSCs). However, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of CsFA lags behind that of MA-containing formulations due to the difficulty in controlling the film morphology. Herein, we report innovative morphology engineering using solution deposition of a mixture of CsBr, PbI2, and PbCl2 followed by vacuum evaporation of formamidinium iodide (FAI) to fabricate CsFA films. The introduction of a chloride precursor leads to larger grain sizes, forming a high-quality CsFA film under annealing. This enables the realization of robust CsFA-based PSCs with the highest reported PCE up to 24.1% (certified 23.9%) for 0.1 cm2 and 22.8% for 1 cm2 devices. Moreover, the unencapsulated evaporation device shows excellent stability with negligible efficiency decline after 20,000 h of storage in dry air or 1,000 h of exposure to 50% humidity, which is much better than the device prepared using the solution procedure.

Flexible perovskite solar cells (FPSCs) have emerged as power sources in versatile applications owing to their high-efficiency characteristics, excellent flexibility, and relatively low cost. Nevertheless, undesired strain in perovskite films greatly impacts the power-conversion efficiency (PCE) and stability of PSCs, particularly in FPSCs. Herein, a novel multifunctional organic salt, methylammonium succinate, which can alleviate strain and reinforce grain boundaries, was incorporated into the perovskite film, leading to relaxed microstrain and a lower defect concentration. As a result, a PCE of 25.4% for rigid PSCs and a record PCE of 23.6% (certified 22.5%) for FPSCs have been achieved. In addition, the corresponding FPSCs exhibited excellent bending durability, maintaining ∼85% of their initial efficiency after bending at a 6 mm radius for 10 000 cycles.

Achieving high-efficiency indium tin oxide (ITO)-free organic optoelectronic devices requires the development of high-conductivity and high-transparency materials for being used as the front electrode. Herein, sol-gel-grown zinc oxide (ZnO) films with high conductivity (460 S cm-1) and low optical absorption losses in both visible and near-infrared (NIR) spectral regions are realized utilizing the persistent photoinduced doping effect. The origin of the increased conductivity after photo-doping is ascribed to selective trapping of photogenerated holes by oxygen vacancies at the surface of the ZnO film. Then, the conductivity of the sol-gel-grown ZnO is further increased by stacking the ZnO using a newly developed sequential deposition strategy. Finally, the stacked ZnO is used as the cathode to construct ITO-free organic solar cells, photodetectors, and light emitting diodes: The devices based on ZnO outperform those based on ITO, owing to the reduced surface recombination losses at the cathode/active layer interface, and the reduced parasitic absorption losses in the electrodes of the ZnO based devices.

Doping of all-inorganic lead halide perovskites to enhance their photovoltaic performance and stability has been reported to be effective. Up to now most studies have focused on the doping of elements in to the perovskite lattice. However, most of them cannot be doped into the perovskite lattice and the roles of these dopants are still controversial. Herein,the authors introduce CdI2 as an additive into CsPbI3-x Brx and use it as active layer to fabricate high-performance inorganic perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Cd with a smaller radius than Pb can partially substitute Pb in the perovskite lattice by up to 2 mol%. Meanwhile, the remaining Cd stays on the surface and grain boundaries (GB) of the perovskite film in the form of Cs2 CdI4-x Br-x , which is found to reduce non-radiative recombination. These effects result in prolonged charge carrier lifetime, suppressed defect formation, decreased GBs, and an upward shift of energybands in the Cd-containing film. A champion efficiency of 20.8% is achieved for Cd-incorporated PSCs, together with improved device ambient stability. This work highlights the importance of simultaneous lattice engineering, defectcontrol and atomic-level characterization in achieving high-performance inorganic PSCs with well-defined structure-property relationships.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) represent one of the most promising emerging photovoltaic technologies due to their high power conversion efficiency. However, despite the huge progress made not only in terms of the efficiency achieved, but also fundamental understanding of the relevant physics of the devices and issues which affect their efficiency and stability, there are still unresolved problems and obstacles on the path toward commercialization of this promising technology. In this roadmap, we aim to provide a concise and up to date summary of outstanding issues and challenges, and the progress made toward addressing these issues. While the format of this article is not meant to be a comprehensive review of the topic, it provides a collection of the viewpoints of the experts in the field, which covers a broad range of topics related to PSC commercialization, including those relevant for manufacturing (scaling up, different types of devices), operation and stability (various factors), and environmental issues (in particular the use of lead). We hope that the article will provide a useful resource for researchers in the field and that it will facilitate discussions and move forward toward addressing the outstanding challenges in this fast-developing field.

Light-emitting diodes based on halide perovskites have undergone rapid development in recent years and can now offer external quantum efficiencies of over 23%. However, the practical application of such devices is still limited by a number of factors, including the poor efficiency of blue-emitting devices, difficulty in accessing emission wavelengths above 800 nm, a decrease in external quantum efficiency at high current density, a lack of understanding of the effect of the electric field on mobile ions present in the perovskite materials, and short device lifetimes. Here we review the development of perovskite light-emitting diodes. We examine the key challenges involved in creating efficient and stable devices, and consider methods to alleviate the poor efficiency of blue-emitting devices, leverage emission in the long infrared region and create spin-polarized light-emitting diodes.

Improvements to perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have focused on increasing their power conversion efficiency (PCE) and operational stability and maintaining high performance upon scale-up to module sizes. We report that replacing the commonly used mesoporous-titanium dioxide electron transport layer (ETL) with a thin layer of polyacrylic acid-stabilized tin(IV) oxide quantum dots (paa-QD-SnO2) on the compact-titanium dioxide enhanced light capture and largely suppressed nonradiative recombination at the ETL-perovskite interface. The use of paa-QD-SnO2 as electron-selective contact enabled PSCs (0.08 square centimeters) with a PCE of 25.7% (certified 25.4%) and high operational stability and facilitated the scale-up of the PSCs to larger areas. PCEs of 23.3, 21.7, and 20.6% were achieved for PSCs with active areas of 1, 20, and 64 square centimeters, respectively.

Large datasets are now ubiquitous as technology enables higher-throughput experiments, but rarely can a research field truly benefit from the research data generated due to inconsistent formatting, undocumented storage or improper dissemination. Here we extract all the meaningful device data from peer-reviewed papers on metal-halide perovskite solar cells published so far and make them available in a database. We collect data from over 42,400 photovoltaic devices with up to 100 parameters per device. We then develop open-source and accessible procedures to analyse the data, providing examples of insights that can be gleaned from the analysis of a large dataset. The database, graphics and analysis tools are made available to the community and will continue to evolve as an open-source initiative. This approach of extensively capturing the progress of an entire field, including sorting, interactive exploration and graphical representation of the data, will be applicable to many fields in materials science, engineering and biosciences.

Since their introduction in 2017, the efficiency of lead-free halide perovskite solar cells based on Cs2AgBiBr6 has not exceeded 3%. The limiting bottlenecks are attributed to a low electron diffusion length, self-trapping events and poor selectivity of the contacts, leading to large non-radiative VOC losses. Here, 2D/3D hybrid double perovskites are introduced for the first time, using phenethyl ammonium as the constituting cation. The resulting solar cells show an increased efficiency of up to 2.5% for the champion cells and 2.03% on average, marking an improvement by 10% compared to the 3D reference on mesoporous TiO2. The effect is mainly due to a VOC improvement by up to 70 mV on average, yielding a maximum VOC of 1.18 V using different concentrations of phenethylammonium bromide. While these are among the highest reported VOC values for Cs2AgBiBr6 solar cells, the effect is attributed to a change in recombination behavior within the full device and a better selectivity at the interface toward the hole transporting material (HTM). This explanation is supported by voltage-dependent external quantum efficiency, as well as photoelectron spectroscopy, revealing a better energy level alignment and thus a better hole-extraction and improved electron blocking at the HTM interface.

Making large datasets findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable could accelerate technology development. Now, Jacobsson et al. present an approach to build an open-access database and analysis tool for perovskite solar cells. Large datasets are now ubiquitous as technology enables higher-throughput experiments, but rarely can a research field truly benefit from the research data generated due to inconsistent formatting, undocumented storage or improper dissemination. Here we extract all the meaningful device data from peer-reviewed papers on metal-halide perovskite solar cells published so far and make them available in a database. We collect data from over 42,400 photovoltaic devices with up to 100 parameters per device. We then develop open-source and accessible procedures to analyse the data, providing examples of insights that can be gleaned from the analysis of a large dataset. The database, graphics and analysis tools are made available to the community and will continue to evolve as an open-source initiative. This approach of extensively capturing the progress of an entire field, including sorting, interactive exploration and graphical representation of the data, will be applicable to many fields in materials science, engineering and biosciences.