Perovskite Solar Cells: Vertical PbI2 Growth for 26.94% PCE

Nature Communications China

Overview

Researchers have developed a method to transform PbI2 clusters into nanowires to serve as scaffolds for perovskite film formation. This approach achieved a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 26.94% in lab-scale devices and 24.60% in micro modules. The technique enables high homogeneity and crystallinity across both small and large-area devices.

In Depth

Key Findings

The study reports a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 26.94% (certified as 26.66%) for laboratory-area perovskite devices with an aperture area of 0.0618 cm². Additionally, the researchers successfully manufactured a micro module device with a larger aperture area of 21.54 cm², achieving a PCE of 24.60% (certified as 24.02%).

Technical Details

The performance gains are attributed to a solution-based induction process used during the two-step sequential deposition. This process transforms initial PbI2 clusters into PbI2 nanowires, which act as scaffolds for subsequent perovskite formation. The technical validation included:

• In-situ GISAXS: In-plane low-angle diffraction detected a periodically arranged ordered structure in the PbI2 film.
• In-situ GIWAXS: Confirmed that the PbI2 nanowires facilitate the ion-exchange process, significantly improving the orientation and homogeneity of the resulting perovskite films.

Background & Context

In two-step sequential deposition, the morphology of the initial PbI2 film is pivotal in determining the crystallinity and uniformity of the final perovskite layer. By introducing a controllable morphology via nanowire formation, the researchers addressed the challenge of maintaining high efficiency when scaling from lab-scale to larger modules.

Significance & Outlook

The ability to maintain a certified PCE of 24.02% in a 21.54 cm² micro module demonstrates the scalability of the vertical PbI2 homogeneous growth method. This approach provides a pathway for producing high-performance n-i-p structured perovskite devices with consistent crystallinity across varying surface areas.

Get our weekly technology intelligence — free

Receive an infographic that lets you judge at a glance whether each field’s analysis report is worth reading.

Subscribe Free — Weekly Tech Intelligence

By subscribing, you’ll receive Troy-Technical’s weekly technology intelligence newsletter.

• Your email and selected fields are used only to deliver the newsletter.
• We never share your information with third parties.
• You can unsubscribe anytime via the link in each email.

See our Privacy Policy for details.

Agree & Continue ▶

Takes about a minute · Unsubscribe anytime