SummaryMaterials to be used in the space environment have to withstand extreme conditions, particularly with respect to cosmic particle irradiation. We report robust stability and high tolerance of organolead trihalide perovskite solar cells against high-fluence electron and proton beams. We found that methylammonium and formamidinium-based lead iodide perovskite solar cells composed of TiO2 and a conductive polymer, as electron and hole transport materials, can survive against accumulated dose levels up to 1016 and 1015particles/cm2 of electrons (1 MeV) and protons (50 KeV), respectively, which are known to completely destroy crystalline Si-, GaAS-, and InGaP/GaAs-based solar cells in spacecraft. These results justify the superior tolerance of perovskite photovoltaic materials to severe space radiations and their usefulness in satellite missions.

Lead halide perovskite single layers with three grain sizes are subjected to proton-beam irradiation in order to assess the durability and radiation tolerance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) against space radiation. Proton-beam irradiation is chosen because proton beams significantly affect solar cell performance in the space environment. We evaluate the effects of proton beams by focusing on the grain structure, crystal structure, and carrier lifetime of a perovskite single layer by using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence (PL) spectra, and time-resolved PL (TRPL). The results show that proton irradiation does not significantly affect the grain structure and crystal structure of perovskite layer; the TRPL results show that the carrier lifetime inside the grain is constant up to a fluence of 1 × 10 14 p + /cm 2 and decreases significantly at a fluence of 1 × 10 15 p + /cm 2 . Proton-beam radiation tolerance of the grain inside the perovskite layer is dominant in the radiation tolerance of PSCs.

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The effects of soft X-ray exposure on structures of CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite were investigated using an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) time-dependent measurement method. A crystalline sample was fabricated with the inverse-temperature crystallization method. The time evolutions of the core-level and valence-band spectra were recorded to determine the compositional ratios and valence band electronic structure of the sample, respectively. In addition, first-principles calculations were conducted to evaluate the valence band XPS spectra. The in situ XPS analysis combined with theoretical calculations demonstrated a degradation of the surface of CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite into PbI2 owing to the evaporation of methylammonium iodide.

In the originally published version of this article, due to an oversight during the proofing process, the values in column ''Cell 2'' of Table 1 were incorrectly reported, with an additional number to the left of the percentage number. The article has now been corrected online. The journal apologizes for the error and any confusion it may have caused.