Efficient and stable perovskite solar cells by introducing organic electrolytes as dual-side passivation layer

Heejoo Kim^a^,^c, Ju-Hyun Kim^b, Yong-Ryun Kim^c, Hongsuk Suh^d, Kwanghee Lee^b

^aGraduate School of Energy Convergence, Institute of Integrated Technology, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 61005, Republic of Korea

^bSchool of Materials Science and Engineering, Heeger Center for Advanced Materials & Research Institute for Solar and Sustainable Energies, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology

^cResearch Institute for Solar and Sustainable Energies (RISE), Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 61005, Republic of Korea

^dDepartment of Chemistry and Chemistry Institute for Functional Materials, Pusan National University (PNU), Busan 46241, Republic of Korea

International Conference on Hybrid and Organic Photovoltaics
Proceedings of International Conference on Hybrid and Organic Photovoltaics (HOPV23)

London, United Kingdom, 2023 June 12th - 14th

Organizers: Tracey Clarke, James Durrant and Trystan Watson

Oral, Heejoo Kim, presentation 155
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29363/nanoge.hopv.2023.155
Publication date: 30th March 2023

Interface engineering at the interface between the perovskite layer and the charge transport layer (CTL), or CTL and metal electrodes, is critical for demonstrating the efficient and stable perovskite solar cells (PSCs) [1, 2]. Herein, we demonstrate the efficient and stable PSCs by introducing the organic electrolytes (OEs) as a “dual-side passivation layer” in both p-i-n and n-i-p configuration of PSCs. Firstly, a newly synthesized bathocuproine (BCP)-based nonconjugated polyelectrolyte (poly-BCP) is introduced between the tin oxide (SnO2) CTL and the perovskite layer in the n-i-p configuration. Poly-BCP effectively passivate oxygen-vacancy defects of the SnO2 side and simultaneously scavenges ionic defects of perovskite side, suppressing both bulk and interfacial nonradiative recombination in PSCs [3]. As a result, the modified PSCs exhibited a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 24.4% and a high open-circuit voltage of 1.21 V. Furthermore, the non-encapsulated PSCs show excellent long-term stability by retaining 93% of the initial PCE after 700 h under continuous 1-sun irradiation in nitrogen atmosphere conditions. Secondly, amine-functionalized small molecule electrolytes (SMEs) are introduced as passivation layer between the PCBM CTL and metal electrode (here, Cu) in the p-i-n configuration [4]. A strong coordination bond of Cu─N forms at the Cu/SMEs interface, leading to the layer–layer growth mode for the dense formation of Cu electrodes with a strong adhesion to the CTL. Thus, this modified electrode prevents the ingress of moisture into the PSCs, resulting in outstanding moisture stability; the efficiency of non-encapsulated PSCs retains 90% of the initial PCE after 200 days of exposure to atmospheric air (25 ℃, relative humidity [RH] ~20–40%). Under harsher conditions (e.g., 25 ℃/RH65%, 25 ℃/RH85% and immersion in water) for a considerable time period, the modified PSCs manifest relatively no degradation compared with the pristine PSCs.

References:

[1] Lin, C.-T.; Lee, J.; Kim, J.; Macdonald,T. J.; Ngiam, J.; Xu, B.; Daboczi, M.; Xu, W.; Pont, S.; Park, B.; Kang, H.; Kim, J.-S.; Payne, D. J.; Lee, K.; Durrant, J. R.; McLachlan, M. A.; Adv. Funct. Mater. 2020, 30, 1906763.

[2] Stolterfoht, M.; Wolff, C. M.; Márquez, J. A.; Zhang, S.; Hages, C. J.; Albrecht, D. S.; Burn, P. L.; Meredith, P.; Unold, T.; Neher, D.; Nat. Energy 2018, 3, 847.

[3] ] Kim, J.-H.; Kim, Y. R.; Kim, J.; Oh, C.-M.; Hwangh, I.-W.; Kim, J.; Zeiske, S.; Kim, T.; Kwon, S.; Kim, H.; Armin, A.; Suh, H.; Lee, K.; Adv. Mater. 2022, 34. 2205268.

[4] Kim, Y.R.; Kim, J.; Kim, H.; Yoon, C.-J.; Yun, J.-T.; Kim, Kim, J.-H.; Gu, A.; Suh, H.; Lee, K.; Solar RRL, 2021, 5, 2100351.

Acknowledgements:

This work was supported by the Korea Government (the Ministry of Science and ICT, MSIT) (NRF-2021R1F1A1061175); by the Technology Development Program to Solve Climate Change of the NRF funded by MSIT (NRF-2020M1A2A2080748); by the GIST Research Institute (GRI), RISE, grant funded by the GIST in 2023.

nanoGe is a prestigious brand of successful science conferences that are developed along the year in different areas of the world since 2009. Our worldwide conferences cover cutting-edge materials topics like perovskite solar cells, photovoltaics, optoelectronics, solar fuel conversion, surface science, catalysis and two-dimensional materials, among many others.

MATSUS

Previously nanoGe Spring Meeting (NSM) and nanoGe Fall Meeting (NFM), MATSUS is a multiple symposia conference focused on a broad set of topics of advanced materials preparation, their fundamental properties, and their applications, in fields such as renewable energy, photovoltaics, lighting, semiconductor quantum dots, 2-D materials synthesis, charge carriers dynamics, microscopy and spectroscopy semiconductors fundamentals, etc.

International Conference on Hybrid and Organic Photovoltaics

International Conference on Hybrid and Organic Photovoltaics (HOPV) is celebrated yearly in May. The main topics are the development, function and modeling of materials and devices for hybrid and organic solar cells. The field is now dominated by perovskite solar cells but also other hybrid technologies, as organic solar cells, quantum dot solar cells, and dye-sensitized solar cells and their integration into devices for photoelectrochemical solar fuel production.

Asia-Pacific International Conference on Perovskite, Organic Photovoltaics and Optoelectronics

The main topics of the Asia-Pacific International Conference on Perovskite, Organic Photovoltaics and Optoelectronics (IPEROP) are discussed every year in Asia-Pacific for gathering the recent advances in the fields of material preparation, modeling and fabrication of perovskite and hybrid and organic materials. Photovoltaic devices are analyzed from fundamental physics and materials properties to a broad set of applications. The conference also covers the developments of perovskite optoelectronics, including light-emitting diodes, lasers, optical devices, nanophotonics, nonlinear optical properties, colloidal nanostructures, photophysics and light-matter coupling.

International Conference on Perovskite Thin Film Photovoltaics Perovskite Photonics and Optoelectronics

The International Conference on Perovskite Thin Film Photovoltaics Perovskite Photonics and Optoelectronics (NIPHO) is the best place to hear the latest developments in perovskite solar cells as well as on recent advances in the fields of perovskite light-emitting diodes, lasers, optical devices, nanophotonics, nonlinear optical properties, colloidal nanostructures, photophysics and light-matter coupling.