Development of High Efficiency, Spray-Coated Perovskite Solar Cells and Modules Using Additive-Engineered Porous PbI2 Films

The development of anti-solvent free, scalable, and printable perovskite film is crucial to realizing the low-cost roll-to-roll development of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, large-area perovskite film fabrication is explored using a spray-assisted sequential deposition technique. How propylene carbonate (PC) solvent additive affects the transformation of lead halide (PbI2) into perovskite at room temperature is investigated. The result shows that PC-modified perovskite films exhibit a uniform, pinhole-free morphology with oriented grains compared with pristine perovskite films. The PC-modified perovskite film also has a prolonged fluorescence lifetime that indicates lower carrier recombination. The champion PSC devices based on PC-modified perovskite film realize a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 20.5% and 19.3% at an active area (A) of 0.09 cm(2) and 1 cm(2), respectively. The fabricated PSCs are stable and demonstrate >= 85% PCE retention following 60 days of exposure to ambient conditions. Furthermore, perovskite solar modules (A approximate to 13 cm(2)) that yield a PCE of 15.8% are fabricated. These results are among the best reported for the state-of-art spray-coated PSCs. Spray deposition coupled with a PC additive is highly promising for economical and high-output preparation of PSCs.

Automated summary

In this study, a spray-assisted sequential deposition technique is used for large-area perovskite film fabrication, and the effect of propylene carbonate (PC) solvent additive on the transformation of lead halide into perovskite at room temperature is investigated. The results show that PC-modified perovskite films have a uniform, pinhole-free morphology and exhibit oriented grains. The addition of PC solvent also prolongs the fluorescence lifetime and reduces carrier recombination. The champion perovskite solar cells based on PC-modified perovskite film achieve power conversion efficiencies of 20.5% and 19.3% at active areas of 0.09 cm(2) and 1 cm(2), respectively. Additionally, perovskite solar modules with an area of approximately 13 cm(2) are fabricated, achieving a conversion efficiency of 15.8%. The spray deposition technique, combined with the PC additive, shows great promise for economical and high-output preparation of perovskite solar cells.