Perovskite materials have gathered increased interest over the last decade. Their rapidly rising efficiency, coupled with the compatibility with solution processing and thin film technology has put perovskite solar cells (PSC) on the spotlight of photovoltaic research. On top of that, band gap tunability via composition changes makes them a perfect candidate for tandem applications, allowing for further harvest of the solar irradiation spectrum and improved power conversion efficiency (PCE). In order to convert all these advantages into large scale production and have increased dissemination in the energy generation market, perovskite fabrication must be adapted and optimized with the use of high throughput, continuous processes, such as ultrasonic spray coating (USSC). In this paper we investigate the ultrasonically spray coated perovskite layers for photovoltaic applications, with particular focus on the quenching-assisted crystallization step. Different quenching techniques are introduced to the process and compared in terms of final layer morphology and cell performance. Finally, gas quenching is used with the large-scale-compatible deposition and allows the production of perovskite solar cells with PCE >15%.

Nanometre-thick, ultrathin coatings applied over a large area are of paramount importance for various application fields such as biomedicine, space and automotive, organic electronics, memory devices, or energy storage devices. So far wet chemical deposition as a cost-effective, scalable, and versatile method can only be used for thicker deposits. Here the formation of uniform ultra-thin coatings with thicknesses below 15 nm using a nature-inspired, roll-to-roll compatible Spray-on-Screen (SoS) technology is reported. For this, the finite micro-droplet generation of Ultrasonic Spray Coating (USSC) is combined with the coating formation from a screen printing mesh. Hydrophobic micro-threads of the mesh, resembling the micro-hair on the legs of water striders, produce millidroplets from micro droplets, and when applying an external pressure to the mesh, dynamic wetting is enforced. The proposed technology is applicable for a wide variety of substrates and applications. It is shown by theory and experiment that ultra-thin coatings below 5 nm homogeneous over a large area can be deposited without the use of extended ink formulation or high substrate temperatures during or after deposition. This simple yet effective technique enables the deposition of ultra-thin films on any substrates, and is very promising to fabricate the organic, inorganic electronics devices and batteries cost effectively.

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