Tailoring the Functionality of Organic Spacer Cations for Efficient and Stable Quasi‐2D Perovskite Solar Cells

Abstract

The recent development of quasi‐2D perovskite solar cells have drawn significant attention due to the improved stability of these materials and devices against moisture compared to their 3D counterparts. However, the optoelectronic properties of 2D perovskites need to be optimized in order to achieve high efficiency. In this work, the effect of spacer cations, i.e., phenethylammonium (PEA), 4‐fluorophenethylammonium (F‐PEA), and 4‐methoxyphenethylammonium (MeO‐PEA) on the optoelectronic properties and device performance of quasi‐2D perovskites is systematically studied. It is observed that both larger and more hydrophobic cations can improve perovskite stability against moisture, while larger size can adversely influence the device performance. Interestingly, with F‐PEA or MeO‐PEA, distribution of n value can be shifted toward high 3D content in quasi‐2D perovskite layers, which enables lower bandgaps and possibly lower exciton binding energy. Due to the best charge transport and lowest bandgap, the F‐PEAI‐based quasi‐2D perovskite (n = 5) solar cell shows a highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 14.5% with excellent stability in air with a humidity of 40–50%, keeping 90% of the original PCE after 40 d. It is believed that the approach may open a way for the design of new organic spacer cations for stable low‐dimensional hybrid perovskites with high performance.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Apr 22, 2019
Source ID
10.1002/adfm.201900221

Entities

People

  • Alex Jen
  • Hongbin Liu
  • Lijian Zuo
  • Wei-Fei Fu
  • Xiaosong Li
  • Xueliang Shi

Organizations

  • City University of Hong Kong
  • National Science Foundation
  • Office of Naval Research
  • United States Department of Energy
  • University of Washington

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Materials science

Readers

  • Quantum Dot Semiconductor Device Photonics and Graphene Optoelectronic Materials and THz Physics.
  • Solar Photovoltaics and Thermoelectric Devices.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics