Highly efficient flexible perovskite solar cells with vacuum-assisted low-temperature annealed SnO2 electron transport layer

The demand for lightweight, flexible, and high-performance portable power sources urgently requires high-efficiency and stable flexible solar cells. In the case of perovskite solar cells(PSCs), most of the common electron transport layer(ETL) needs to be annealed for improving the optoelectronic properties,while conventional flexible substrates could barely stand the high temperature. Herein, a vacuumassisted annealing SnO_(2) ETL at low temperature(100℃) is utilized in flexible PSCs and achieved high efficiency of 20.14%. Meanwhile, the open-circuit voltage(V_(oc)) increases from 1.07 V to 1.14 V. The flexible PSCs also show robust bending stability with 86.8% of the initial efficiency is retained after 1000 bending cycles at a bending radius of 5 mm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), atomic force microscopy(AFM), and contact angle measurements show that the density of oxygen vacancies, the surface roughness of the SnO_(2) layer, and film hydrophobicity are significantly increased, respectively. These improvements could be due to the oxygen-deficient environment in a vacuum chamber, and the rapid evaporation of solvents. The proposed vacuum-assisted low-temperature annealing method not only improves the efficiency of flexible PSCs but is also compatible and promising in the large-scale commercialization of flexible PSCs.

Recent Progress of Electrode Materials for Flexible Perovskite Solar Cells

Flexible perovskite solar cells(FPSCs) have attracted enormous interest in wearable and portable electronics due to their high power-per-weight and low cost. Flexible and efficient perovskite solar cells require the development of flexible electrodes compatible with the optoelectronic properties of perovskite. In this review, the recent progress of flexible electrodes used in FPSCs is comprehensively reviewed. The major features of flexible transparent electrodes, including transparent conductive oxides, conductive polymer, carbon nanomaterials and nanostructured metallic materials are systematically compared. And the corresponding modification strategies and device performance are summarized. Moreover, flexible opaque electrodes including metal films, opaque carbon materials and metal foils are critically assessed. Finally, the development directions and difficulties of flexible electrodes are given.

Flexible perovskite solar cells:Materials and devices

Flexible perovskite solar cells(FPSCs)are supposed to play an important role in the commercialization of perovskite solar cells due to their unique properties,such as high efficiency,thin thickness and being compatible with roll to roll(R2R)process for mass production.At present,deformable and lightweight FPSCs have been successfully prepared and applied as power supply by integrating with different wearable and portable electronics,which opens a niche market for photovoltaics.In this mini review,we will introduce the recent progress of FPSCs from the aspect of small-area flexible devices,R2R processed devices with large scale and emerging flexible cells with deformability and stretchability.Finally,conclusion and outlook are provided.

Recent advances of flexible perovskite solar cells

In few years only, the efficiency record of perovskite solar cells（PSCs） has raised quickly from 3.8% to over 22%. This emerging photovoltaic technology has primarily shown its great potential of industrialization. Flexible PSCs are thought to be one of the most priority options for mass production, related to the intrinsic advantage of perovskite thin films which could be deposited by facile solution processes at low temperature. Flexible PSCs have at least four advantages in comparison to the rigid counterpart：（1） it can generate higher power output at lighter weight,（2） it is easily portable,（3） it can be easily attached to architectures or textiles with diverse shapes, and（4） it is compatible with roll-to-roll fabrication in a large scale. In this review, we have summarized recent development of the key materials and technologies applied in flexible PSCs. The key materials including flexible substrates, transparent and conductive electrodes, and interfacial materials; some key technologies about roll-to-roll manufacture, encapsulation technology have been overviewed. Finally, a prospect on possible application directions of flexible PSCs has been discussed.

Efficient flexible perovskite solar cells and modules using a stable SnO_(2)-nanocrystal isopropanol dispersion

The outstanding advantages of lightweight and flexibility enable flexible perovskite solar cells(PSCs)to have great application potential in mobile energy devices.Due to the low cost,low-temperature processibility,and high electron mobility,SnO_(2) nanocrystals have been widely employed as the electron transport layer in flexible PSCs.To prepare high-quality SnO_(2) layers,a monodispersed nanocrystal solution is normally used.However,the SnO_(2) nanocrystals can easily aggregate,especially after long periods of storage.Herein,we develop a green and cost-effective strategy for the synthesis of high-quality SnO_(2) nanocrystals at low temperatures by introducing small molecules of glycerol,obtaining a stable and well-dispersed SnO_(2)-nanocrystal isopropanol dispersion successfully.Due to the enhanced dispersity and super wettability of this alcohol-based SnO_(2)-nanocrystal solution,large-area smooth and dense SnO_(2) films are easily deposited on the plastic conductive substrate.Furthermore,this contributes to effective charge transfer and suppressed non-radiative recombination at the interface between the SnO_(2) and perovskite layers.As a result,a greatly enhanced power conversion efficiency(PCE)of 21.8%from 19.2%is achieved for small-area flexible PSCs.A large-area 5 cm×5 cm flexible perovskite solar mini-module with a champion PCE of 16.5%and good stability is also demonstrated via this glycerol-modified SnO_(2)-nanocrystal isopropanol dispersion approach.

Mechanical robust and self-healing flexible perovskite solar cells with efficiency exceeding 23%

Flexible perovskite solar cells(f-PSCs) have experienced rapid advancements due to the light-weight, flexibility, and solution processability of the perovskite materials, which prompted the power conversion efficiency(PCE) to 24.08%. However, f-PSCs still face challenges in terms of mechanical and environmental stability. This is primarily due to their inherent brittleness, the presence of residual tensile strain, and the high density of defects along the boundaries of perovskite grains. To this end, we carefully developed a cross-linkable elastomers 3-[(3-acrylamidopropyl)dimethylammonium] propanoate(ADP) with electrostatic dynamic bond, which could be in-situ cross-linked and coordinate with [Pb I6]4-to regulate the crystallization process of perovskite. The cross-linked elastomers attached to the perovskite grain boundaries could release the remaining tensile strains and mechanical stresses, leading to enhanced stability and flexibility of the f-PSCs. More importantly, the electrostatic interaction between positive and negative groups of cross-linked elastomers and hydrogen bond formation between N–H and C=O accelerate the cross-linking of ADP, endowing the flexible perovskite films with self-healing ability under mild treating conditions(60 °C for 30 min). As a result, the device achieves a remarkable PCE of 23.53%(certified 23.16%). Additionally, the device exhibits impressive mechanical sustainability and durability, retaining over 90% of initial PCE even after undergoing8,000 bending cycles.

Improved interfacial adhesion for stable flexible inverted perovskite solar cells

Flexible perovskite solar cells have attracted widespread attention due to their unique advantages in lightweight,high flexibility,and easy deformation,which are suitable for portable electronics.However,the inverted(p-i-n)structured devices suffer from poor stability largely due to the low adhesion at the brittle interface(the hole transport layer/perovskite).Herein,zeolitic imidazolate framework-67(ZIF-67)is applied to inverted structured cells to optimize the interface and prolong the device lifetime.As a result,the flexible devices based on ZIF-67 obtain the champion power conversion efficiency of 20.16%.Over 1000 h under continuous light irradiation,the device retains 96%and 80%of its original efficiency without and with bias,respectively.Notably,devices show mechanical endurance with over 78%efficiency retention after 10,000 cycles of consecutive bending cycles(R=6 mm).The introduction of ZIF-67 suppresses the cracking in device bending,which results in improved environmental stability and bending durability.

Efficient light harvesting from flexible perovskite solar cells under indoor white light-emitting diode illumination

This is the first report of an investigation on flexible perovskite solar cells for artificial light harvesting by using a white light-emitting diode （LED） lamp as a light source at 200 and 400 Ix, values typically found in indoor environments. Flexible cells were developed using either low-temperature sol-gel or atomic- layer-deposited compact layers over conducting polyethylene terephthalate （PET） substrates, together with ultraviolet （UV）-irradiated nanoparticle TiO2 scaffolds, a CH3NHBPbI3xClx perovskite semiconductor, and a spiro-MeOTAD hole transport layer. By guaranteeing high-quality carrier blocking （via the 10-40 nm-thick com- pact layer） and injection （via the nanocrystalline scaffold and perovskite layers） behavior, maximum power conversion efficiencies （PCE） and power densities of 10.8% and 7.2 pW-cm-2, respectively, at 200 lx, and 12.1% and 16.0 -tW＇cm-2, respectively, at 400 lx were achieved. These values are the state-of-the-art, comparable to and even exceeding those of flexible dye-sensitized solar cells under LED lighting, and significantly greater than those for flexible amorphous silicon, which are currently the main flexible photovoltaic technologies commercially considered for indoor applications. Furthermore, there are significant margins of improvement for reaching the best levels of efficiency for rigid glass-based counterparts, which we found was a high of PCE -24% at 400 lx. With respect to rigid devices, flexibility brings the advantages of being low cost, lightweight, very thin, and COlfformal, which is especially important for seamless integration in indoor environments.

A universal tactic of using Lewis-base polymer-CNTs composites as additives for high performance cm2-sized and flexible perovskite solar cells

Lewis-base polymers have been widely utilized as additives to act as a template for the perovskite nucleation/crystal growth and passivate the under-coordinated Pb2+ sites.However,it is uncovered in this work that the polymer on the perovskite grain boundaries would significantly hinder the charge transport due to its low conductivity,which brings about free carrier recombination and photocurrent losses.To circumvent this issue while fully exploiting the benefits of polymers in passivating the trap states in perovskite,we incorporate highly conductive multiwall carbon nanotubes(CNTs) with Lewis-base polymers as coadditives in the perovskite film.Functionalizing the CNTs with-COOH group enables a selective hole-extraction and charge transport from perovskite to the hole transporting materials(HTM).By studying the charge transporting and recombination dynamics,we revealed the individual role of the polymer and CNTs in passivating the trap states and facilitating the charge transport,respectively.As a result,the perovskite solar cells(PSCs) with polymer-CNTs composites exhibit an impressive PCE of 21.7% for a small-area device(0.16 cm2) and 20.7% for a large-area device(1.0 cm2).Moreover,due to the superior mechanical flexibility of both polymer and CNTs,the polymer-CNTs composites incorporation in the perovskite film encourages the fabrication of flexible PSCs(f-PSCs) with an impressive PCE of 18.3%,and a strong mechanical durability by retaining 80%of the initial PCE after 1,000 times bending.In addition,we proved that the selection criteria of the polymers can be extended to other long-chain Lewis-base polymers,which opens new possibilities in design and synthesis of inexpensive material for this tactic towards the fabrication of high performance large-area PSCs and f-PSCs.

Stable and Highly Flexible Perovskite Solar Cells with Power Conversion Efficiency Approaching 20% by Elastic Grain Boundary Encapsulation

Here,we show that flexible perovskite solar cells(PSCs)with high operational stability and power conversion efficiency(PCE)approaching 20%were achieved by elastic grain boundary(GB)encapsulation.An introduction of trimethyltrivinylcyclotrisiloxane(V3D3)and solvent annealing(SA)resulted in an in situ cross-linking reaction between GBs and enlarged grain size that enabled oriented charge-transport properties to be achieved synchronously,leading to reduced sheet resistance with a high fill factor(FF)up to 82.93%in flexible PSCs.

Ultralight flexible perovskite solar cells

Ultrathin(thickness less than 10μm)and ultralight flexible perovskite solar cells(FPSCs)have attracted extensive research enthusiasm as power sources for specific potential lightweight applications,such as drones,blimps,weather balloons and avionics.Currently,there is still a certain gap between the power conversion efficiency(PCE)of ultrathin FPSCs and common FPSCs.This study demonstrates ultrathin FPSCs on 3-μm-thick parylene-C substrates via a flip-over transferring process.The Zr,Ti and Ga-doped indium oxide(ITGZO)film is employed as the bottom transparent electrode of ultrathin inverted FPSCs with a remarkable PCE of 20.2%,which is comparable to that based on common FPSCs.Devices on glasses and parylene-F(i.e.,parylene-VT4)substrates were also constructed to verify the advantages of parylene-C.Furthermore,an excellent powerper-weight of 30.3 W g^(-1) is achieved attributed to remarkable PCE and ultrathin-ultralight substrates,demonstrating the great promise of fabricating efficient,ultrathin and ultralight solar cells with parylene-C films.

Deep insights into the advancements and applications of perovskite based photovoltaic cells

The organometal halide perovskite materials have a blend of surprising optoelectronic properties, for example high value of absorption coefficient and abrupt optical retention edge, lifetime, long charge carrier diffusion length and many more. Brought in conjunction with the capacity for manufacturing at low temperature, likewise from the solution, devices based on perovskite, particularly solar cells have been contemplated seriously with striking advancements in performance, in the course of recent years. The amalgamation of minimal effort, high efficiency and extra applications gives incredible potential to commercialization of these cells. The applications and performance of perovskite cells frequently relate with the structures of the device. Numerous creative structures of the devices were produced, targeting for vast scale manufacture, diminishing creation cost, upgrading the PCE and subsequently expanding the prospective for future applications. This paper outlines the various advanced structures of PSC, challenges confronted by these PSCs and their future perspectives. The commercial applications of PSC are additionally talked about in this paper.

Mechanically and operationally stable flexible inverted perovskite solar cells with 20.32%efficiency by a simple oligomer cross-linking method

Due to their great potential in wearable and portable electronics,flexible perovskite solar cells(FPSCs)have been extensively studied.The major challenges in the practical applications of FPSCs are efficiency,operational stability,and mechanical stability.Herein,we developed a facile approach by incorporating a cross-linking oligomer of trimethylolpropane ethoxylate triacrylate(TET)into perovskite films to simultaneously enhance the power conversion efficiency(PCE)and stability of FPSCs.A PCE of 20.32%was achieved,which are among the best results for the inverted FPSCs.Both mechanical and environmental stabilities were improved for the TET-incorporated FPSCs.In particular,the PCE retained approximately87%of its initial value after 20,000 bending cycles at a radius of 4 mm.The inverted FPSCs retained 85%of the initial PCE after 500 h storage at 85°C and 90%after 900 h continuous one-sun illumination.A joint experiment–theory analysis ascribed the underlying mechanism to the reduced defect densities,improved crystallinity,and stability of the perovskite absorbers on flexible substrates caused by TET incorporation.

Efficient fully laser-patterned flexible perovskite modules and solar cells based on low-temperature solution-processed SnO2/mesoporous-TiO2 electron transport layers

Efficient flexible perovskite solar cells and modules were developed using a combination of SnO2 and mesoporous-TiO2 as a fully solution-processed electron transport layer （ETL）. Cells using such ETLs delivered a maximum power conversion efficiency （PCE） of 14.8%, which was 30% higher than the PCE of cells with only SnO2 as the ETL. The presence of a mesoporous TiO2 scaffold layer over SnO2 led to higher rectification ratios, lower series resistances, and higher shunt resistances. The cells were also evaluated under 200 and 400 lx artificial indoor illumination and found to deliver maximum power densities of 9.77 μW/cm^2 （estimated PCE of 12.8%） and 19.2 μW/cm^2 （estimated PCE of 13.3%）, respectively, representing the highest values among flexible photovoltaic technologies reported so far. Furthermore, for the first time, a fully laser-patterned flexible perovskite module was fabricated using a complete three-step laser scribing procedure （P1, P2, P3） with a PCE of 8.8% over an active area of 12 cm^2 under an illumination of 1 sun.