Air-Induced Conductivity Loss in Fullerene ETLs Can Drive Charge Extraction Losses in Vapor-Deposited Perovskite Solar Cells
Date
2024-12-04
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ACS Applied Energy Materials
Abstract
The effect of air exposure on all-vapor processed perovskite solar cells using C60 fullerene electron transport layers (ETLs) was investigated. C60 is used in lead halide perovskite solar cells as an ETL to decrease hysteresis and improve stabilized power output. However, air exposure to n-i-p solar cells using C60 ETLs without encapsulation or doping can result in performance degradation due to FF loss and the onset of s-shaped J–V curves. This is correlated to orders of magnitude increase in C60 resistivity upon air exposure. Drift-diffusion simulations provide evidence that a change in the C60 carrier concentration or mobility can lead to the FF loss and s-shaped J–V curve. The degradation does not occur when using inorganic ETLs but does occur in p-i-n architecture using C60 ETLs, further confirming that the C60 layer is the source of the degradation. This is an additional pathway for perovskite solar cell degradation upon air exposure beyond the instability of the perovskite itself. The loss of efficiency can be reduced in p-i-n solar cells using a LiF interlayer, and a better combination of hysteresis and air stability can be achieved in n-i-p solar cells using a C60/SnO2 bilayer ETL.
Description
This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in ACS Applied Energy Materials, copyright © 2024 American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.4c02306.
This article will be embargoed until 12/04/2025.
Keywords
lead halide perovskite, thin film solar cell, drift-diffusion simulations, air stability, O2, conductivity, fullerene, electron transport layer, affordable and clean energy
Citation
Kuba, Austin G., Chaiwarut Santiwipharat, Raphael J. Richardson, Ujjwal K. Das, Kevin D. Dobson, and William N. Shafarman. “Air-Induced Conductivity Loss in Fullerene ETLs Can Drive Charge Extraction Losses in Vapor-Deposited Perovskite Solar Cells.” ACS Applied Energy Materials, December 4, 2024, acsaem.4c02306. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.4c02306.