Publication date: 17th February 2025
Over the past decade, the power conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) has continuously increased from 14.1 % to 26.7 % [1], making them one of the most promising photovoltaic technology. Currently, the more efficient perovskite-based photovoltaic devices contain water-soluble lead (Pb). Exposure to soluble lead poses a potential threat to both the environment and public health. Therefore, there is a significant concern regarding the leaching of toxic Pb2+ into the environment in case of damage and then leakage of the perovskite solar cell devices. Pb-free metal halide perovskites have been proposed for applications in PSCs through the partial or total replacement of Pb by other metals, including tin (Sn), germanium (Ge), bismuth (Bi), or antimony (Sb) [2]. Following, strategies must be developed to mitigate the release of Pb2+ in the event of encapsulation failure; these strategies should be low-cost, capturing the Pb2+ quickly and extensively without impairing the normal performance of the solar device. This is crucial to overcoming the challenges associated with the implementation and industrialization of these technologies.
To mitigate the release of ionic Pb in case of device failure, the authors propose combining an innovative Pb2+ scavenger layer incorporated into the cover glass substrate of laser-assisted sealed devices [3]. The proposed scavenger reacts quickly and irreversibly with Pb2+ to produce an insoluble phosphate-based salt. The lead in this salt is no longer available to react in the environment, reducing the risk of contamination.
The use of the potassium phosphate salt in dummy samples with an area of 9.62×102 mm2 resulted in a decrease from 9.74 ppm of Pb2+ (soluble lead) to 6.13×10-3 ppm, which corresponds to a lead sequestration efficiency (SQE) of 99.9 %. The presence of a Pb sequestration layer in the PSCs caused no performance losses to the device when tested for more than 2800 h (stored in the dark) under standard laboratory atmospheric conditions of humidity and temperature.
Eliana Loureiro, Jorge Martins and Rúben Madureira are grateful to the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for their PhD grants (reference: UI/BD/150991/2021, SFRH/BD/147201/2019, and SFRH/BD/137782/2018). This work was financially supported by LA/P/0045/2020 (ALiCE), UIDB/00511/2020 and UIDP/00511/2020 (LEPABE), funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC); project TanPT (2022.05826.PTDC), funded by FEDER funds through COMPETE2020 – Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) and by national funds (PIDDAC) through FCT/MCTES. This work has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme, through a FET Proactive research and innovation action under grant agreement No. 101084124. This work has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon programme under grant agreement No. 101096992.
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