Recent progress towards roll-to-roll manufacturing of perovskite solar cells using slot-die processing

Abstract

The power conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) has recently reached 24.2% [1], the threshold for serious commercial interest, triggering an intense search for prospective large-scale production methods that will enable a swift transition from the laboratory to industrial-scale manufacture. Several industrially-compatible scalable methods have been deployed to fabricate PSCs, but the efficiencies of devices prepared using these methods remain inferior to devices prepared in the laboratory using spin coating, a technique that is unsuitable for large-scale manufacturing. A key challenge for the successful commercialization of PSCs is the production of highly uniform, pinholefree films over a sufficiently large area while also controlling the crystallization process. Researchers in private and public sector organizations are devoting tremendous effort to overcoming these hurdles. Among the reported scalable methods, use of slot-die coating in sheet-to-sheet (S2S, batch) or roll-toroll (R2R, continuous) processes is attractive for large-scale, low-cost manufacturing of PSCs, particularly on flexible substrates. In this review, we summarize recent advances in low-temperature S2S and R2R slot-die coating processes for PSCs, outline the key processing parameters controlling PSC fabrication and their impact on device performance, and describe current challenges and future prospects.

Recent Developments in Upscalable Printing Techniques for Perovskite Solar Cells

“…Similar to the blade‐coating process, both one‐step and two‐step deposition methods are feasible for the sheet‐to‐sheet and roll‐to‐roll deposition of the perovskite layer by the slot‐die coating process. [ 138–145 ] For example, in 2015, Hwang et al. first reported a sequential slot‐die coating process to fabricate fully printed PSCs with device configuration of ITO/ZnO/MAPbI 3 /P3HT/Au.…”

Mechanism of Additive-Assisted Room-Temperature Processing of Metal Halide Perovskite Thin Films

“…[11][12][13] Moreover, thermal annealing adds additional energy input, processing time and cost to PSC fabrication and limits the compatibility of the fabrication with roll-to-roll processing due to the need for large furnaces and longer annealing times. [14][15][16] To overcome the disadvantages of thermal annealing, several roomtemperature approaches have been developed, including post-deposition anti-solvent dipping, two-step sequential deposition methods, pyridine (Py)promoted perovskite formation, ligand-promoted perovskite formation from nanostructured precursors, and thiocyanate-based additive processing. [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] Nevertheless, many of these techniques involve two steps (such as dipping in a solvent, antisolvent or a precursor solution), which can alter the predeposited layers, making these techniques less compatible with complex device structures.…”

A Review on Emerging Barrier Materials and Encapsulation Strategies for Flexible Perovskite and Organic Photovoltaics

“…[ 32 ] However, this technique is impractical for large‐scale, high‐throughput manufacturing as it does not permit flexible roll‐to‐roll processes. As a result, alternative fabrication methods such as slot‐die coating, [ 45–51 ] gravure printing, [ 10 ] blade coating, [ 10,52 ] drop casting, [ 53,54 ] and spray coating [ 55 ] have been developed, with some of these illustrated in Figure 3 . As demonstrated by Zuo et al., flexible roll‐to‐roll fabricated cells in ambient air currently cannot achieve the same outstanding efficiencies observed with all‐spin‐coated devices.…”