Antisolvent engineering on low-temperature processed CsPbI3 inorganic perovskites for improved performances of solar cells

CsPbI3 inorganic perovskites with ideal bandgap and much enhanced thermal stability compared with organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites, have attracted much interest in the field of solar cells. The performances of solar cells highly depend on the quality of perovskite films, yet the research on fabrication methods of inorganic perovskites is far below that of organic-inorganic hybrid counterparts. Antisolvent engineering is a widely used method in controlling the morphology and crystallinity of organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites. Its effect varies with parameters such as the physicochemical properties of antisolvents and the compositions of perovskite precursors. Specially, there lacks a comprehensive study comparing different antisolvents used in low-temperature processed CsPbI3 from dimethylammonium-based precursors. In this work, we used three different antisolvents to control the growth of CsPbI3 films in a low-temperature (<200 degrees C) processed procedure and systematically compared the properties of resultant films. The green antisolvent ethyl acetate (EA) engineered CsPbI3 films exhibit improved morphology and crystallinity as well as reduced defects, compared with the counterparts processed without antisolvent or those with widely employed toxic antisolvents toluene and chlorobenzene. The EA antisolvent engineering results in efficient CsPbI3 perovskite solar cells with a champion power conversion efficiency of 8.8%. Our work thus provides a green and viable way to prepare high quality CsPbI3 perovskite films for optoelectronic applications.

Automated summary

CsPbI3 inorganic perovskites with ideal bandgap have attracted much interest in solar cells due to their enhanced thermal stability. In this study, the use of the green antisolvent ethyl acetate (EA) in the fabrication process led to improved morphology, crystallinity, and reduced defects in CsPbI3 films compared to other antisolvents. This green antisolvent engineering resulted in efficient CsPbI3 perovskite solar cells with a champion power conversion efficiency of 8.8%, providing a viable way to prepare high-quality CsPbI3 perovskite films for optoelectronic applications.