A Low Viscosity, Low Boiling Point, Clean Solvent System for the Rapid Crystallisation of Highly Specular Perovskite Films

David Moore, Nakita Noel, Severin Habisreutinger, Bernard Wenger, Matthew Klug, Maximilian Horantner, Michael Johnston, Robin Nicholas, Henry Snaith

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

338 Scopus Citations

Abstract

Perovskite-based photovoltaics have, in recent years, become poised to revolutionise the solar industry. While there have been many approaches taken to the deposition of this material, one-step spin-coating remains the simplest and most widely used method in research laboratories. Although spin-coating is not recognised as the ideal manufacturing methodology, it represents a starting point from which more scalable deposition methods, such as slot-dye coating or ink-jet printing can be developed. Here, we introduce a new, low-boiling point, low viscosity solvent system that enables rapid, room temperature crystallisation of methylammonium lead triiodide perovskite films, without the use of strongly coordinating aprotic solvents. Through the use of this solvent, we produce dense, pinhole free films with uniform coverage, high specularity, and enhanced optoelectronic properties. We fabricate devices and achieve stabilised power conversion efficiencies of over 18% for films which have been annealed at 100 degrees C, and over 17% for films which have been dried under vacuum and have undergone no thermal processing. This deposition technique allows uniform coating on substrate areas of up to 125 cm2, showing tremendous promise for the fabrication of large area, high efficiency, solution processed devices, and represents a critical step towards industrial upscaling and large area printing of perovskite solar cells.
Original languageAmerican English
Pages (from-to)145-152
Number of pages8
JournalEnergy and Environmental Science
Volume10
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2017

NREL Publication Number

  • NREL/JA-5900-67278

Keywords

  • crystallisation
  • perovskite solar cells
  • solvents

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A Low Viscosity, Low Boiling Point, Clean Solvent System for the Rapid Crystallisation of Highly Specular Perovskite Films'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this