Hysteresis in hybrid perovskite indoor photovoltaics

Abstract

Halide perovskite indoor photovoltaics (PV) are a viable solution to autonomously power the billions of sensors in the huge technology field of the Internet of Things. However, there exists a knowledge gap in the hysteresis behaviour of these photovoltaic devices under indoor lighting conditions. The present work is the first experimental study dedicated to exploring the degree of hysteresis in halide perovskite indoor photovoltaic devices by carrying out both transient J–V scan and steady state maximum power point tracking (MPPT) measurements. Dependence of hysteresis on device architecture, selection of electron transporting layers and the composition of the perovskite photoactive layers were investigated. Under indoor illumination, the p-i-n MAPbI 3 -based devices show consistently high power conversion efficiency (PCE) (stabilized PCE) of greater than 30% and negligible hysteresis behaviour, whereas the n-i-p MAPbI 3 devices show poor performance (stabilized PCE ∼ 15%) with pronounced hysteresis effect. Our study also reveals that the n-i-p triple cation perovskite devices are more promising (stabilized PCE ∼ 25%) for indoor PV compared to n-i-p MAPbI 3 due to their suppressed ion migration effects. It was observed that the divergence of the PCE values estimated from the J–V scan measurements, and the maximum power point tracking method is higher under indoor illumination compared to 1 Sun, and hence for halide perovskite-based indoor PV, the PCE from the MPPT measurements should be prioritized over the J–V scan measurements. The results from our study suggest the following approaches for maximizing the steady state PCE from halide perovskite indoor PV: (i) select perovskite active layer composition with suppressed ion migration effects (such as Cs-containing triple cation perovskites) and (ii) for the perovskite composition such as MAPbI 3 , where the ion migration is very active, p-i-n architecture with organic charge transport layers is beneficial over the n-i-p architecture with conventional metal oxides (such as TiO 2 , SnO 2 ) as charge transport layers. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Developing resilient energy systems’.

Chlorine retention enables the indoor light harvesting of triple halide wide bandgap perovskites

“…Our recent investigation has shown that compared to 1 sun illumination, the halide perovskite photovoltaic devices demonstrate a completely different J – V hysteresis behaviour under indoor lighting conditions, depending on the selection of the device architecture and the photoactive layers. 59 Compared to CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 , TA devices show slightly greater J – V hysteresis under 1 sun illumination, [Fig. 2(e)].…”

“…S9,† indicating that the Spiro-OMeTAD interface as well as the SnO 2 /perovskite interface are contributing to the J – V hysteresis. 59 However, the photovoltaic performances of P3HT-based devices are consistently lower than Spiro-OMeTAD devices and one contributing factor could be the low conductivity of the undoped P3HT films used as the HTL.…”

“…[60][61][62][63][64] Previously we have shown that the SnO 2 /perovskite interface can contribute to J-V hysteresis in halide perovskite indoor photovoltaic devices. 59 However, the origin of the hysteresis effect can also be due to the interfacial defects existing at the perovskite/Spiro-OMeTAD interface. 65 In this case, we employed P3HT as the hole transport layer to replace Spiro-OMeTAD.…”

Indoor Energy Harvesting With Perovskite Solar Cells for IoT Applications─A Full Year Monitoring Study

“…One of the first studies of PSCs under low irradiance conditions was performed by Raifuku et al They demonstrated that PSCs performed better at low irradiance than c-Si solar cells and also that there is room for the optimization of solar cells intended for low light operation. In the following years, research efforts on indoor specific PSCs accelerated, with research groups focusing on electron transport layer optimization and its interface to the perovskite layer, , deposition techniques and the composition of the perovskite layer to improve crystallization and reduce the number of surface and bulk defects, − the optimization of J–V hysteresis and consequent PCE improvement. , Skafi et al demonstrated flexible PSCs for indoor use, while Kin et al combined three PSCs connected in series with a sodium-ion battery to construct a very compact nonintermittent renewable power solution for small electronics devices.…”

P3HT vs Spiro-OMeTAD as a hole transport layer for halide perovskite indoor photovoltaics and self-powering of motion sensors

“…Considering the outstanding indoor PV performance, and other potential attributes such as low cost, simple fabrication process, and the fitness for scalable and flexible fabrication, halide perovskite has become one of the most promising candidates for the indoor PV industry. However, our recent investigation has shown that under indoor lighting conditions, halide perovskite PVs demonstrate different J-V hysteresis compared to 1 sun illumination and the extent of deviation depends on the selection of the photoactive layers and the charge transport layers [25]. For the halide perovskite indoor PVs to be reliably employed as an efficient self-powering source for the IoT sensors, the J-V hysteresis needs to be suppressed.…”