Enhancing the photovoltaic performance of printable mesoscopic perovskite solar cells via 5-amino-4-formylimidazole hydrochloride

• Published in: Science China materials Vol. 66; no. 12; pp. 4622 - 4629
• Main Authors: Guo, Rongrong, Zhang, Shengjian, Chen, Yiwen, Wang, Dongjie, Wu, Chenshu, Wang, Longbo, Tao, Ying, Zhu, Wending, Zhang, Haohua, Chen, Changqing, Xiong, Jian, Zhang, Zheling, Huang, Yu, Zhang, Jian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Beijing Science China Press 01-12-2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Chemistry and Materials Science; Chemistry/Food Science; Defects; Energy conversion efficiency; Imidazole; Materials Science; Open circuit voltage; Perovskites; Photovoltaic cells; Solar cells; Titanium dioxide; Work functions; Zirconium dioxide; additives; mesoscopic perovskite solar cells; open-circuit voltage; defect passivation
• ISSN: 2095-8226; 2199-4501
• DOI: 10.1007/s40843-023-2645-4

Hole conductor-free printable mesoscopic perovskite solar cells (p-MPSCs), comprising m-TiO
2
/m-ZrO
2
/C triple mesoscopic layers, have emerged as a promising photovoltaic technology for commercial applications because of their low cost, easy operation, and outstanding stability. However, p-MPSCs suffer from a considerable open-circuit voltage (
V
OC
) loss compared with traditional PSCs, resulting in a discernible disparity in power conversion efficiency (PCE) between p-MPSCs and traditional PSCs. In this article, we present a novel approach employing 5-amino-4-carboxamide imidazole hydrochloride (AICA) to enhance
V
OC
of p-MPSCs. AICA demonstrates a dual function, encompassing the regulation of the work function of the perovskite film and effective passivation of the uncoordinated Pb
2+
and I
−
defects within the perovskites. Consequently, the introduction of AICA stabilizes the structure of the perovskites, leading to the formation of high-quality perovskite films and effectively inhibiting defect-induced nonradiative recombination. Owing to the incorporation of AICA, notable improvements in the photovoltaic performance of p-MPSCs are observed, with a considerable increase in PCE from 14.21% to 16.68% and a corresponding rise in
V
OC
from 0.88 to 0.98 V.