Inkjet‐Printed Micrometer‐Thick Perovskite Solar Cells with Large Columnar Grains

Abstract

Transferring the high power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of spin‐coated perovskite solar cells (PSCs) on the laboratory scale to large‐area photovoltaic modules requires a significant advance in scalable fabrication methods. Digital inkjet printing promises scalable, material, and cost‐efficient deposition of perovskite thin films on a wide range of substrates and in arbitrary shapes. In this work, high‐quality inkjet‐printed triple‐cation (methylammonium, formamidinium, and cesium) perovskite layers with exceptional thicknesses of >1 µm are demonstrated, enabling unprecedentedly high PCEs > 21% and stabilized power output efficiencies > 18% for inkjet‐printed PSCs. In‐depth characterization shows that the thick inkjet‐printed perovskite thin films deposited using the process developed herein exhibit a columnar crystal structure, free of horizontal grain boundaries, which extend over the entire thickness. A thin film thickness of around 1.5 µm is determined as optimal for PSC for this process. Up to this layer thickness X‐ray photoemission spectroscopy analysis confirms the expected stoichiometric perovskite composition at the surface and shows strong deviations and inhomogeneities for thicker thin films. The micrometer‐thick perovskite thin films exhibit remarkably long charge carrier lifetimes, highlighting their excellent optoelectronic characteristics. They are particularly promising for next‐generation inkjet‐printed perovskite solar cells, photodetectors, and X‐ray detectors.

Roll-to-roll gravure-printed flexible perovskite solar cells using eco-friendly antisolvent bathing with wide processing window

“…These coating methods have an advantage of high-throughput deposition of desired layer, but methods require an additional patterning process after deposition. On the other hand, printing methods allows spontaneous formation of layers with desired shape and size with high resolution 41,42 . PSCs deposited by inkjet printing have recently shown a PCE of above 20%, but the deposition speed of inkjet printing is relatively low 41 .…”

“…On the other hand, printing methods allows spontaneous formation of layers with desired shape and size with high resolution 41,42 . PSCs deposited by inkjet printing have recently shown a PCE of above 20%, but the deposition speed of inkjet printing is relatively low 41 . Gravure printing is a printing method that can combine the advantages of both methods, leading to spontaneous, high-throughput deposition of desired layer with arbitrary shape and size 15,18,19 .…”

Insights from Device Modeling of Perovskite Solar Cells

“…11 Since the advent of perovskite photovoltaics, significant experimental efforts have been devoted to enhancing the device power conversion efficiency (PCE), reaching remarkable improvements in just a decade. 12 This continuous improvement in PCE is a result of optimization in perovskite film composition, [13][14] deposition procedures, [15][16] device architecture, 17 charge extraction [18][19][20] and charge blocking layers. [21][22] Accompanying this remarkable experimental success are somewhat limited efforts in device modeling and simulation.…”

Preparation of Giant Polymersomes via Inkjet Printing and Confined Geometry Hydration Applied to Micropipette Aspiration Experiments

“…Inkjet printing is a versatile technology that has been used in a broad range of sectors and applications, ranging from furthering developments in organic thin-film transistors, [11] solar cells, [12,13] biological applications, [14,15] and depositing self-healing polymers into carbon fiber composites among others. [16] One advantage in using inkjet printing within the field of GPs formation is its ability to dispense a controlled amount of solution (i.e., polymer/water) in precisely controlled locations.…”