Precisely Controlled Hydration Water for Performance Improvement of Organic-Inorganic Perovskite Solar Cells

Recently, intensive studies on the role of water molecule in the formation of organic-inorganic perovskite film have been reported. However, not only the contradictive phenomena but also the complex processing technique has hindered the widespread use of water molecule in perovskite preparation. Here the hydration water is introduced into the precursors instead of water. By precisely controlling the content of hydration water, a smoother and more uniform perovskite film is obtained through a simple one-step spin coating method. The improvement of perovskite film quality leads to highly efficient planar perovskite solar cells. Summing up the device studies and the investigation of morphology, crystallization, and optical properties, the impact of water molecule in the formation of perovskite crystal and consequences of device performance is understood. Due to its universal adaptability and simplified process, precise control of hydration water is therefore of great utility to high quality perovskite films fabrication and large-scale production of this upcoming photovoltaic technology.