Polyurethane-Encapsulated Mesoporous Carbon-Based Perovskite Solar Cells Resilient to Extreme Humidity and Mitigation of the Related Reversible <i>J</i>–<i>V</i> Bump

Publication date: 9 Dic 2024

JournalSource: OPENALEXOpenAlex type: articleOpen Access
Authors: Salvatore Valastro, Gaetano Calogero, Emanuele Smecca, Valentina Arena, Giovanni Mannino, Corrado Bongiorno, Ioannis Deretzis, Giuseppe Fisicaro, Antonino La Magna, Simone Galliano, Gabriele Viada, Matteo Bonomo, Claudia Barolo, Alessandra Alberti

Mesoporous carbon-based (mC) hole-transporting layer-free architectures offer a cost-effective solution for the commercialization of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Adding 5-aminovaleric acid (AVA) to MAPbI 3 reduces defect concentration and enhances pore filling, while Eu enrichment in CsPbI 3 reduces cation migration and enables device reusability. In this study, AVA-MAPbI 3 mC-PSCs were encapsulated at room temperature (RT) with a solvent- and water-free polyurethane (PU) resin. Under continuous ambient light, RT, and 40% relative humidity (RH), the PU encapsulant acts as a barrier to extend device durability and enable reusability. The formation of a bump in the J – V curve after ∼250 h, already reported at a low scan rate but here observed at 50 mV/s, strongly reduces the photovoltaic performances. We demonstrate that the bump is not linked to the formation of PbI 2 but is explained by a water-vacancy interaction that increases cation mobility and enhances screening effects near the electron-transport layer. The photovoltaic performances are fully restored by drying the devices under N 2 flow for ∼48 h. A further addition of a hydrophobic Kapton tape interlayer between the PU and device mitigates bump formation, boosts t 90 to ∼6000 h, and projects t 80 to ∼10,800 h. Differently from the Kapton tape used alone, PU provides effective sealing all around the devices, ensuring stability in 100% RH at 90 °C and even underwater. For indoor applications, Eu:CsPbI 3 mC-PSCs typically degrade from the γ- to δ-phase within ∼1 h in air, whereas PU-encapsulated devices achieve t 80 ∼250 h, extendable to 1250 h with an additional closure glass slide.

Origin
ACS Applied Energy Materials
Volume
7
Issue
24
Pages
12069-12083
Cited by
9
Legacy ID
0b970ab3fb015e947a07aba9fa027a58
Biblio references
Volume: 7 Issue: 24 Pages: 12069-12083