First of Their Kind: Solar Cells with a Dry‐Processed Perovskite Absorber Layer via Powder Aerosol Deposition and Hot‐Pressing

Abstract

Preparing halide perovskite films by solvent‐free, powder‐based processing approaches currently attracts more and more attention. However, working solar cells employing dry, powder‐based halide perovskite thin films, have not been demonstrated so far. Herein, perovskite solar cells are presented where the absorber layer is prepared by transferring readily synthesized perovskite powders into a compact thin film using a fully dry‐powder‐processing concept. Compact thin films are deposited via an optimized powder aerosol deposition (PAD) process. Pressing at 120 °C further improves the morphology and the optoelectronic film properties. Integrating the perovskite films in a solar cell configuration results in fully working devices, with champion power conversion efficiencies of >6%. While the (optoelectronic) properties of the PAD‐processed films are found to be comparable with their solution‐processed counterparts, investigations of the solar cell stack suggest deterioration of the electron‐transport layer properties due to the PAD process, and the presence of hydrates at the perovskite surface to be important factors that contribute to the limited solar cell efficiency. Herein, perspectives to overcome the identified limitations are outlined, emphasizing the high potential and realizability of efficient perovskite solar cells based on dry‐powder‐processing approaches in the future.

An intrinsic electrical conductivity study of perovskite powders MAPbX3 (X = I, Br, Cl) to investigate its effect on their photovoltaic performance

“…17 The precise control of precursor stoichiometry in this method translates to better overall synthesis control, leading to improved device properties when converting the prepared perovskite powders into solution-based thin-films. 18–20 Moreover, the potential of halide perovskite powders is showcased in the demonstration of efficient X-ray detectors. These detectors were achieved by directly processing solution-based perovskite powders into a thick layer without the use of solvents, highlighting the versatility of these materials.…”