Yang Yang

Advancing perovskite solar cell technologies toward their theoretical power conversion efficiency (PCE) requires delicate control over the carrier dynamics throughout the entire device. By controlling the formation of the perovskite layer and careful choices of other materials, we suppressed carrier recombination in the absorber, facilitated carrier injection into the carrier transport layers, and maintained good carrier extraction at the electrodes. When measured via reverse bias scan, cell PCE is typically boosted to 16.6% on average, with the highest efficiency of ~19.3% in a planar geometry without antireflective coating. The fabrication of our perovskite solar cells was conducted in air and from solution at low temperatures, which should simplify manufacturing of large-area perovskite devices that are inexpensive and perform at high levels.

Hybrid organic/inorganic perovskites (e.g., CH3NH3PbI3) as light absorbers are promising players in the field of third-generation photovoltaics. Here we demonstrate a low-temperature vapor-assisted solution process to construct polycrystalline perovskite thin films with full surface coverage, small surface roughness, and grain size up to microscale. Solar cells based on the as-prepared films achieve high power conversion efficiency of 12.1%, so far the highest efficiency based on CH3NH3PbI3 with the planar heterojunction configuration. This method provides a simple approach to perovskite film preparation and paves the way for high reproducibility of films and devices. The underlying kinetic and thermodynamic parameters regarding the perovskite film growth are discussed as well.