Mixed ion perovskite solar cells (PSC) are manufactured with a metal-free hole contact based on press-transferred single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) film infiltrated with 2,2,7,-7-tetrakis(N,N-di-p-methoxyphenylamine)-9,90-spirobifluorene (Spiro-OMeTAD). By means of maximum power point tracking, their stabilities are compared with those of standard PSCs employing spin-coated Spiro-OMeTAD and a thermally evaporated Au back contact, under full 1 sun illumination, at 60 °C, and in a N atmosphere. During the 140 h experiment, the solar cells with the Au electrode experience a dramatic, irreversible efficiency loss, rendering them effectively nonoperational, whereas the SWCNT-contacted devices show only a small linear efficiency loss with an extrapolated lifetime of 580 h.
Metal halide perovskites
have emerged as materials of high interest
for solar energy-to-electricity conversion, and in particular, the
use of mixed-ion structures has led to high power conversion efficiencies
and improved stability. For this reason, it is important to develop
means to obtain atomic level understanding of the photoinduced behavior
of these materials including processes such as photoinduced phase
separation and ion migration. In this paper, we implement a new methodology
combining visible laser illumination of a mixed-ion perovskite ((FAPbI3)0.85(MAPbBr3)0.15) with
the element specificity and chemical sensitivity of core-level photoelectron
spectroscopy. By carrying out measurements at a synchrotron beamline
optimized for low X-ray fluxes, we are able to avoid sample changes
due to X-ray illumination and are therefore able to monitor what sample
changes are induced by visible illumination only. We find that laser
illumination causes partially reversible chemistry in the surface
region, including enrichment of bromide at the surface, which could
be related to a phase separation into bromide- and iodide-rich phases.
We also observe a partially reversible formation of metallic lead
in the perovskite structure. These processes occur on the time scale
of minutes during illumination. The presented methodology has a large
potential for understanding light-induced chemistry in photoactive
materials and could specifically be extended to systematically study
the impact of morphology and composition on the photostability of
metal halide perovskites.
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