Over one-micron-thick void-free perovskite layers enable highly efficient and fully printed solar cells

Qiu S, Majewski M, Dong L, Distler A, Li C, Forberich K, Tian J, Hemasiri NH, Liu C, Zhang J, Yang F, Le Corre VM, Bibrack M, Basu R, Barabash A, Harting J, Ronsin OJ, Du T, Egelhaaf HJ, Brabec C (2025)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2025

Journal

DOI: 10.1039/d5ee01722j

Abstract

Commercialization of perovskite photovoltaics hinges on the successful transition from laboratory-scale fabrication to industrial-scale manufacturing. A key challenge in fully printed perovskite solar cells with non-reflecting back electrodes is the deposition of high-quality, over-one-micron-thick perovskite layers to minimize photocurrent losses from incomplete light absorption. However, the formation of voids at the substrate/perovskite interface impedes the fabrication of such layers. Here, phase-field simulations reveal that the bottom voids originate from trapped residual solvents, driven by nanocrystal aggregation at the liquid-vapor interface during drying. Guided by these insights, we introduce a two-dimensional (2D) perovskite layer-assisted growth strategy to promote heterogeneous nucleation at the substrate, accelerating 3D perovskite crystallization and preventing solvent entrapment. This strategy enables the formation of highly crystalline, monolithic perovskite films exceeding one micrometer in thickness. The resulting void-free films maximize photocurrent extraction, achieving power conversion efficiencies of 19.9% on rigid substrates and 17.5% on flexible substrates in fully printed perovskite solar cells with non-reflecting carbon electrodes.

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

Forschungszentrum Jülich / Research Centre Jülich (FZJ) Germany (DE) Soochow University, Suzhou / 苏州大学 China (CN)

How to cite

APA:

Qiu, S., Majewski, M., Dong, L., Distler, A., Li, C., Forberich, K.,... Brabec, C. (2025). Over one-micron-thick void-free perovskite layers enable highly efficient and fully printed solar cells. Energy and Environmental Science. https://doi.org/10.1039/d5ee01722j

MLA:

Qiu, Shudi, et al. "Over one-micron-thick void-free perovskite layers enable highly efficient and fully printed solar cells." Energy and Environmental Science (2025).

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