Unveiling the operation mechanism of layered perovskite solar cells

Authors

Yun Lin, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Yanjun Fang, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Jingjing Zhao, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Yuchuan Shao, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Samuel J. Stuard, North Carolina State University
Masrur Morshed Nahid, North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Harald Ade, North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Qi Wang, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Jeffrey E. Shield, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Ninghao Zhou, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Andrew M. Moran, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Jinsong Huang, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

ORCID IDs

0000-0002-7223-2324

0000-0002-3211-6978

0000-0002-0509-8778

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2019

Citation

NATURE COMMUNICATIONS | (2019) 10:1008

Comments

© The Author(s) 2019

Open access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-08958-9

Abstract

Layered perovskites have been shown to improve the stability of perovskite solar cells while its operation mechanism remains unclear. Here we investigate the process for the conversion of light to electrical current in high performance layered perovskite solar cells by examining its real morphology. The layered perovskite films in this study are found to be a mixture of layered and three dimensional (3D)-like phases with phase separations at micrometer and nanometer scale in both vertical and lateral directions. This phase separation is explained by the surface initiated crystallization process and the competition of the crystallization between 3D-like and layered perovskites. We further propose that the working mechanisms of the layered perovskite solar cells involve energy transfer from layered to 3D-like perovskite network. The impact of morphology on efficiency and stability of the hot-cast layered perovskite solar cells are also discussed to provide guidelines for the future improvement.