Terahertz photonics

Abstract:

Organic photovoltaics are a sustainable and cost-effective power-generation technology that may aid the move to zero-emission buildings, carbon neutral cities, and electric vehicles. While state-of-the-art organic photovoltaic devices can be encapsulated to withstand air and moisture, they are currently still susceptible to light-induced degradation, leading to a decline in the long-term efficiency of the devices. In this study, the role of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on a multilayer organic photovoltaic device is systematically uncovered using spectral filtering. By applying long-pass filters to remove different parts of the UV portion of the AM1.5G spectrum, two main photodegradation processes are shown to occur in the organic photovoltaic devices. A UV-activated process is found to cause a significant decrease in the photocurrent across the whole spectrum and is most likely linked to the deterioration of the charge extraction layers. In addition, a photodegradation process caused by UV-filtered sunlight is found to change the micromorphology of the bulk heterojunction material, leading to a reduction in photocurrent at high photon energies. These findings strongly suggest that the fabrication of inherently photostable organic photovoltaic devices will require the replacement of fullerene-based electron transporter materials with alternative organic semiconductors.

Abstract:

The addition of large hydrophobic cations to lead halide perovskites has significantly enhanced the environmental stability of photovoltaic cells based on these materials. However, the associated formation of two-dimensional structures inside the material can lead to dielectric confinement, higher exciton binding energies, wider bandgaps and limited charge-carrier mobilities. Here we show that such effects are not detrimental to the charge transport for carefully processed films comprising a self-assembled thin layer of quasi-two-dimensional (2D) perovskite interfaced with a 3D MAPbI₃ perovskite layer. We apply a combination of time-resolved photoluminescence and photoconductivity spectroscopy to reveal the charge-carrier recombination and transport through the film profile, when either the quasi-2D or the 3D layers are selectively excited. Through modeling of the recorded dynamics, we demonstrate that while the charge-carrier mobility is lower within the quasi-2D region, charge-carrier diffusion to the 3D phase leads to a rapid recovery in photoconductivity even when the quasi-2D region is initially photoexcited. In addition, the blue-shifted emission originating from quasi-2D regions overlaps significantly with the absorption spectrum of the 3D perovskite, allowing for highly effective “heterogeneous photon recycling”. We show that this combination fully compensates for the adverse effects of electronic confinement, yielding quasi-2D perovskites with highly efficient charge transporting properties.

Abstract:

© 2019 Multi-junction device architectures can increase the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of photovoltaic (PV) cells beyond the single-junction thermodynamic limit. However, these devices are challenging to produce by solution-based methods, where dissolution of underlying layers is problematic. By employing a highly volatile acetonitrile(CH 3 CN)/methylamine(CH 3 NH 2 ) (ACN/MA) solvent-based perovskite solution, we demonstrate fully solution-processed absorber, transport, and recombination layers for monolithic all-perovskite tandem and triple-junction solar cells. By combining FA 0.83 Cs 0.17 Pb(Br 0.7 I 0.3 ) 3 (1.94 eV) and MAPbI 3 (1.57 eV) junctions, we reach two-terminal tandem PCEs of more than 15% (steady state). We show that a MAPb 0.75 Sn 0.25 I 3 (1.34 eV) narrow band-gap perovskite can be processed via the ACN/MA solvent-based system, demonstrating the first proof-of-concept, monolithic all-perovskite triple-junction solar cell with an open-circuit voltage reaching 2.83 V. Through optical and electronic modeling, we estimate the achievable PCE of a state-of-the-art triple-junction device architecture to be 26.7%. Our work opens new possibilities for large-scale, low-cost, printable perovskite multi-junction solar cells. Silicon-based solar cells are dominating today's solar energy market. However, their efficiencies will soon reach their maximum practical limit. Without any gains in efficiency, price reductions will become increasingly difficult to achieve. Tandem and multi-junction architectures can overcome this single-junction efficiency limit. Perovskite materials offer both band-gap tunability and solution processability. This unique combination of properties allows for fabrication of multi-junction solar cells using high-throughput deposition techniques such as blade coating, roll-to-roll, gravure coating or inkjet printing. However, these solar cells have yet to be fabricated using these deposition techniques due to difficulties in sequentially depositing these semiconductors. By utilizing an acetonitrile/methylamine-based solvent, we demonstrate the first monolithic all-perovskite multi-junction solar cells fabricated via solution processing of all active layers, apart from the electrodes. Perovskite solar cells can be processed using solution-based methods. Furthermore, perovskite solar cells can tune their band gap to absorb different portions of the solar spectrum. This property allows for fabrication of multi-junction solar cell, which can offer higher power conversion efficiencies than single-junction architecture. Here, we combine both features to fabricate the first solution-processed, monolithic, all-perovskite tandem and triple-junction solar cells.