Slot-die processing of flexible perovskite solar cells in ambient conditions

• Published in: Solar energy Vol. 150; pp. 570 - 576
• Main Authors: Ciro, John, Mejía-Escobar, Mario Alejandro, Jaramillo, Franklin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Elsevier Ltd 01-07-2017; Pergamon Press Inc
• Subjects: Ambient conditions processing; Atmosphere; Computer architecture; Cost engineering; Cytology; Deposition; Energy conversion efficiency; Fabrication; Gases; Industrial engineering; Inert gases; Low temperature; Manufacturing engineering; Optimization; Perovskite solar cells; Photovoltaic cells; Photovoltaics; Production costs; Rare gases; Relative humidity; Reproducibility; Scaling; Scaling-up; Slot dies; Slot-die; Solar cells; Solar energy; Spin coating; Temperature effects; Slot-die; Scaling-up; Perovskite solar cells; Ambient conditions processing
• ISSN: 0038-092X; 1471-1257
• DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2017.04.071

Perovskite solar devices as efficient as 2.9% processed at low temperature in an environment with relative humidity as high as 65% employing the slot-die technique.
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•2.9% PCE perovskite solar cell processed by slot die coating.•Layer by layer optimization of a scalable and flexible perovskite solar cell fabricated at ambient conditions.•Perovskite layer morphology controlled by the slot-die parameters optimization.
Hybrid organic/inorganic perovskite materials have become promising candidates for photovoltaic applications. Typically, lab-scale perovskite devices are fabricated by spin coating under inert atmosphere conditions (inert gases and low relative humidity) which is incompatible with scaling-up processing. In this paper, we report the fabrication of perovskite solar cells in ambient conditions (average 65% relative humidity) and low temperature, by using a slot-die technique in a Mini Roll coater. A detailed optimization of the deposition parameters for the constituent layers in a flexible and planar perovskite solar cell is discussed. In particular, the resulting layers morphology strongly depended upon the processing temperature. The optimized device architecture reached a power conversion efficiency up to 2.9% with good reproducibility and reporting forward and reverse performance. The obtained results suggest that the slot-die processing of flexible hybrid perovskite solar cells at ambient conditions can be achieved with significantly reduced production costs and reliable and scalable technology.