Ex situ bismuth doping for efficient CdSeTe thin-film solar cells with open-circuit voltages exceeding 900 mV
We dope CdTe solar cells with Bi after the device structure is completed using a solution process.
Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Xian, Yeming.
We dope CdTe solar cells with Bi after the device structure is completed using a solution process.
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The light-emitting diodes (LEDs) used in indoor testing of perovskite solar cells do not expose them to the levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation that they would receive in actual outdoor use. We report degradation mechanisms of p-i-n-structured perovskite solar cells under unfiltered sunlight and with LEDs. Weak chemical bonding between perovskites and polymer hole-transporting materials (HTMs) and transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) dominate the accelerated A-site cation migration, rather than direct degradation of HTMs. An aromatic phosphonic acid, [2-(9-ethyl-9H-carbazol-3-yl)ethyl]phosphonic acid (EtCz3EPA), enhanced bonding at the perovskite/HTM/TCO region with a phosphonic acid group bonded to TCOs and a nitrogen group interacting with lead in perovskites. A hybrid HTM of EtCz3EPA with strong hole-extraction polymers retained high efficiency and improved the UV stability of perovskite devices, and a champion perovskite minimodule-independently measured by the Perovskite PV Accelerator for Commercializing Technologies (PACT) center-retained operational efficiency of >16% after 29 weeks of outdoor testing.
Low-band-gap tin (Sn)-lead (Pb) perovskites are a critical component in all-perovskite tandem solar cells (APTSCs). Current state-of-the-art Sn-Pb perovskite devices exclusively use poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) as the hole-transport layer (HTL) but suffer from undesired buried-interface degradation. Here, we show that the deprotonation of the –SO 3 H group in PSS is the root cause of the interface degradation due to its low acid dissociation constant (pK a ), leading to acidic erosion and iodine volatilization in Sn-Pb perovskites. We identify that HTL featuring the carboxyl (–COOH) group with a higher pK a , such as poly[3-(4-carboxybutyl)thiophene-2,5-diyl] (P3CT), can suppress deprotonation and strengthen the interface, mitigating the buried-interface degradation. Motivated by established P3CT modification, we introduce Pb doping to P3CT to increase its work function and reduce interfacial energy loss. Furthermore, we fabricate APTSCs with a champion efficiency of 27.8% and an operational lifetime of over 1,000 h, with 97% retaining efficiency under maximum power point tracking.
Flexible perovskite solar cells (F-PSCs), prized for their nature of soft and high power-weight compatibility, have attracted intensive attention. However, inferior buried perovskite-substrate interfaces due to low interfacial adhesion between perovskites and substrates and large deformation of flexible substrates have greatly limited the performance of F-PSCs. Here, we add organic molecule Entinostat (ET) into hole extraction material Poly[bis(4-phenyl)(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)amine] (PTAA) to enhance the adhesion at the perovskite/substrate interface using the interactions of ET with perovskites, PTAA and indium tin oxide (ITO) through its multiple function groups. Meanwhile, ET added into perovskites reduces the voids at the bottom perovskite film, due to its capability to tune the crystallization of perovskites by forming adduct with lead. Consequently, the inverted small area F-PSCs achieved an efficiency of 23.4%. The flexible perovskite minimodule with an area of 9 cm 2 achieved an aperture efficiency of ~19.0% certified by National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Furthermore, the optimized unencapsulated flexible minimodule retained 84% of the initial efficiency after 5000 bending cycles and retained 90% of the initial PCE (T90) after light soaking for >750 hours.
Hybrid lead halide perovskites have superior charge transport properties to all-inorganic perovskites, but high-resolution spectroscopic radiation detectors have not been realized. Here we show that surface deep traps severely limit charge collection in formamidinium lead bromide (FAPbBr3) single-crystal devices, despite having a good bulk transport property. Three types of defect on the crystal surface, namely, FA vacancies, uncoordinated lead and Pb-Pb dimers caused by bromide loss, are found to form deep traps, resulting in non-radiative charge recombinations at the metal/perovskite interface. By tailoring the passivation functional groups, we find that ammonium bromide can passivate all these three deep traps on FAPbBr3 surfaces, improving the charge collection efficiency to near unity. The comparable bulk and surface recombination lifetimes indicate that all the surface defects are effectively passivated. Surface passivation also reduces the dark current by 10 times and decreases the dark counts by ~60 times. The energy resolution of the 137Cs spectra acquired using the FAPbBr3 detectors is improved from 5.7% to 1.7% when all the surface defects are passivated without changing the bulk properties, which is the best among solution-grown semiconductor detectors. Surface passivation is stable for more than six months, and FAPbBr3 spectroscopic detectors can operate at unprecedented high temperatures of more than 130 degrees C.