Crystallization control for ambient printed FA-based lead triiodide perovskite solar cells

    Abstract

Upscalable printing of high-performance and stable perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is highly desired for commercialization. However, the efficiencies of printed PSCs lag behind those of their lab-scale spin-coated counterparts owing to the lack of systematic understanding and control over perovskite crystallization dynamics. Here, we report the controlled crystallization dynamics achieved using an additive 1-butylpyridine tetrafluoroborate (BPyBF₄) for high-quality ambient printed α-formamidinium lead triiodide (FAPbI₃) perovskite films. Using in situ grazing-incidence wide angle X-ray scattering and optical diagnostics, we demonstrate the spontaneous formation of α-FAPbI₃ and sol-gel from precursors during printing without the involvement of α-FAPbI₃. The addition of BPyBF₄ delays the crystallization onset of α-FAPbI₃, enhances the conversion from sol-gel to perovskite, and reduces stacking defects during printing. Therefore, the altered crystallization results in fewer voids, larger grains, and less trap-induced recombination loss within printed films. The printed PSCs yield high power conversion efficiencies of 23.50% and 21.60% for 0.09 cm²-area devices and 5 cm × 5 cm area modules, respectively. Improved device stability is further demonstrated, i.e., approximately 94% of the initial efficiency is retained for over 2400 h under ambient conditions without encapsulation. This study provides an effective crystallization control method for the ambient printing manufacture of large-area high-performance PSCs.

https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202303384