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Vol. 14 (2022)

High-Performance Perovskite Quantum Dot Solar Cells Enabled by Incorporation with Dimensionally Engineered Organic Semiconductor

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-022-00946-x
Seyeong Lim
Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea
Dae Hwan Lee
Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea
Hyuntae Choi
Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea
Yelim Choi
Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea
Dong Geon Lee
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea
Sung Beom Cho
Center of Materials Digitalization, Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology (KICET), Jinju 52851, Republic of Korea
Seonkyung Ko
Department of Energy Science and Engineering, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu 42988, Republic of Korea
Jongmin Choi
Department of Energy Science and Engineering, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu 42988, Republic of Korea
Younghoon Kim
Department of Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul 02707, Republic of Korea
Taiho Park
Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea

Corresponding Author: Taiho Park

taihopark@postech.ac.kr

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 14 (2022), Article Number: 204

Abstract

Perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) have been considered promising and effective photovoltaic absorber due to their superior optoelectronic properties and inherent material merits combining perovskites and QDs. However, they exhibit low moisture stability at room humidity (20–30%) owing to many surface defect sites generated by inefficient ligand exchange process. These surface traps must be re-passivated to improve both charge transport ability and moisture stability. To address this issue, PQD-organic semiconductor hybrid solar cells with suitable electrical properties and functional groups might dramatically improve the charge extraction and defect passivation. Conventional organic semiconductors are typically low-dimensional (1D and 2D) and prone to excessive self-aggregation, which limits chemical interaction with PQDs. In this work, we designed a new 3D star-shaped semiconducting material (Star-TrCN) to enhance the compatibility with PQDs. The robust bonding with Star-TrCN and PQDs is demonstrated by theoretical modeling and experimental validation. The Star-TrCN-PQD hybrid films show improved cubic-phase stability of CsPbI3-PQDs via reduced surface trap states and suppressed moisture penetration. As a result, the resultant devices not only achieve remarkable device stability over 1000 h at 20–30% relative humidity, but also boost power conversion efficiency up to 16.0% via forming a cascade energy band structure.


Highlights:


1 We designed and developed a 3D star-shaped conjugated molecule (Star-TrCN) to incorporate organic semiconductor with CsPbI3 perovskite quantum dots (PQDs).
2 The robust chemical bonding of Star-TrCN and PQDs is demonstrated by theoretical modeling and experimental validation, which significantly improved the cubic-phase stability of CsPbI3-PQDs by passivating vacant sites and preventing moisture penetration.
3 The Star-PQD hybrid solar cells not only achieved remarkable device stability over 1000 h at 20–30% relative humidity, but also boosted power conversion efficiency up to 16.0% via cascade energy band structure.

Keywords

CsPbI3 quantum dots Star-shaped organic semiconductors Hybrid perovskite quantum dots Solar cell stability High-efficiency photovoltaics
Lim, Seyeong, Dae Hwan Lee, Hyuntae Choi, Yelim Choi, Dong Geon Lee, Sung Beom Cho, Seonkyung Ko, Jongmin Choi, Younghoon Kim, and Taiho Park. 2022. “High-Performance Perovskite Quantum Dot Solar Cells Enabled by Incorporation With Dimensionally Engineered Organic Semiconductor”. Nano-Micro Letters 14 (October):204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-022-00946-x.
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