Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

Correlation of energy disorder and open-circuit voltage in hybrid perovskite solar cells

Nature Energy volume 1, Article number: 15001 (2016) Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Organometal trihalide perovskites have been demonstrated as excellent light absorbers for high-efficiency photovoltaic applications. Previous approaches to increasing the solar cell efficiency have focused on optimization of the grain morphology of perovskite thin films. Here, we show that the structural order of the electron transport layers also has a significant impact on solar cell performance. We demonstrate that the power conversion efficiency of CH3NH3PbI3 planar heterojunction photovoltaic cells increases from 17.1 to 19.4% when the energy disorder in the fullerene electron transport layer is reduced by a simple solvent annealing process. The increase in efficiency is the result of the enhancement in open-circuit voltage from 1.04 to 1.13 V without sacrificing the short-circuit current and fill factor. These results shed light on the origin of open-circuit voltage in perovskite solar cells, and provide a path to further increase their efficiency.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Device structure and mechanism to enhance VOC by reducing energy disorder.
Figure 2: PCBM treatment-dependent device performance.
Figure 3: Structure and energy disorder of PCBM films under different treatments.
Figure 4: Dependence of charge recombination lifetime on PCBM treatment.
Figure 5: Dependence of device performance on PCBM thickness.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Green, M. A., Ho-Baillie, A. & Snaith, H. J. The emergence of perovskite solar cells. Nature Photon. 8, 506–514 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Snaith, H. J. Perovskites: The emergence of a new era for low-cost, high-efficiency solar cells. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 4, 3623–3630 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Dong, Q. et al. Electron–hole diffusion lengths >175 μm in solution-grown CH3NH3PbI3 single crystals. Science 347, 967–970 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Xing, G. et al. Low-temperature solution-processed wavelength-tunable perovskites for lasing. Nature Mater. 13, 476–480 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Liu, M., Johnston, M. B. & Snaith, H. J. Efficient planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells by vapour deposition. Nature 501, 395–398 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Lee, M. M., Teuscher, J., Miyasaka, T., Murakami, T. N. & Snaith, H. J. Efficient hybrid solar cells based on meso-superstructured organometal halide perovskites. Science 338, 643–647 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Abrusci, A. et al. High-performance perovskite-polymer hybrid solar cells via electronic coupling with fullerene monolayers. Nano Lett. 13, 3124–3128 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Stranks, S. D. et al. Electron–hole diffusion lengths exceeding 1 micrometer in an organometal trihalide perovskite absorber. Science 342, 341–344 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Heo, J. H. et al. Efficient inorganic–organic hybrid heterojunction solar cells containing perovskite compound and polymeric hole conductors. Nature Photon. 7, 486–491 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Xiao, Z. et al. Solvent annealing of perovskite-induced crystal growth for photovoltaic-device efficiency enhancement. Adv. Mater. 26, 6503–6509 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Takahashi, Y., Hasegawa, H., Takahashi, Y. & Inabe, T. Hall mobility in tin iodide perovskite CH3NH3SnI3: Evidence for a doped semiconductor. J. Solid State Chem. 205, 39–43 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Wehrenfennig, C., Eperon, G. E., Johnston, M. B., Snaith, H. J. & Herz, L. M. High charge carrier mobilities and lifetimes in organolead trihalide perovskites. Adv. Mater. 26, 1584–1589 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Yin, W.-J., Shi, T. & Yan, Y. Unusual defect physics in CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite solar cell absorber. Appl. Phys. Lett. 104, 063903 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Kojima, A., Teshima, K., Shirai, Y. & Miyasaka, T. Organometal halide perovskites as visible-light sensitizers for photovoltaic cells. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 131, 6050–6051 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Jeon, N. J. et al. Compositional engineering of perovskite materials for high-performance solar cells. Nature 517, 476–480 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Green, M. A., Emery, K., Hishikawa, Y., Warta, W. & Dunlop, E. D. Solar cell efficiency tables (Version 45). Prog. Photovolt. Res. Appl. 23, 1–9 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Jeon, N. J. et al. Solvent engineering for high-performance inorganic–organic hybrid perovskite solar cells. Nature Mater. 13, 897–903 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Xu, J. et al. Perovskite–fullerene hybrid materials suppress hysteresis in planar diodes. Nature Commun. 6, 7081 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Wang, Q. et al. Large fill-factor bilayer iodine perovskite solar cells fabricated by a low-temperature solution-process. Energy Environ. Sci. 7, 2359–2365 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Heumueller, T. et al. Disorder-induced open-circuit voltage losses in organic solar cells during photoinduced burn-in. Adv. Energy Mater. 5, 1500111 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Blakesley, J. C. & Neher, D. Relationship between energetic disorder and open-circuit voltage in bulk heterojunction organic solar cells. Phys. Rev. B 84, 075210 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Liu, D. & Kelly, T. L. Perovskite solar cells with a planar heterojunction structure prepared using room-temperature solution processing techniques. Nature Photon. 8, 133–138 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Ryu, S. et al. Voltage output of efficient perovskite solar cells with high open-circuit voltage and fill factor. Energy Environ. Sci. 7, 2614–2618 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Xiao, Z. et al. Efficient, high yield perovskite photovoltaic devices grown by interdiffusion of solution-processed precursor stacking layers. Energy Environ. Sci. 7, 2619–2623 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Zhou, H. et al. Interface engineering of highly efficient perovskite solar cells. Science 345, 542–546 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Bi, C. et al. Non-wetting surface-driven high-aspect-ratio crystalline grain growth for efficient hybrid perovskite solar cells. Nature Commun. 6, 7747 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Shao, Y., Xiao, Z., Bi, C., Yuan, Y. & Huang, J. Origin and elimination of photocurrent hysteresis by fullerene passivation in CH3NH3PbI3 planar heterojunction solar cells. Nature Commun. 5, 5784 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Von Hauff, E., Dyakonov, V. & Parisi, J. Study of field effect mobility in PCBM films and P3HT: PCBM blends. Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 87, 149–156 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Xie, Y. et al. Femtosecond time-resolved fluorescence study of P3HT/PCBM blend films. J. Phys. Chem. C 114, 14590–14600 (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Li, G. et al. “Solvent annealing” effect in polymer solar cells based on poly (3-hexylthiophene) and methanofullerenes. Adv. Funct. Mater. 17, 1636–1644 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Li, G. et al. High-efficiency solution processable polymer photovoltaic cells by self-organization of polymer blends. Nature Mater. 4, 864–868 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Mens, R. et al. Description of the nanostructured morphology of [6, 6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) by XRD, DSC and solid-state NMR. Magn. Reson. Chem. 49, 242–247 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Bisquert, J. Interpretation of electron diffusion coefficient in organic and inorganic semiconductors with broad distributions of states. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 10, 3175–3194 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Pomerantz, Z. et al. Capacitance, spectroelectrochemistry and conductivity of polarons and bipolarons in a polydicarbazole based conducting polymer. J. Electroanal. Chem. 614, 49–60 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Mihailetchi, V. D. et al. Electron transport in a methanofullerene. Adv. Funct. Mater. 13, 43–46 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Hu, M. et al. Distinct exciton dissociation behavior of organolead trihalide perovskite and excitonic semiconductors studied in the same system. Small 11, 2164–2169 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Tummala, N. R., Zheng, Z., Aziz, S. G., Coropceanu, V. & Brédas, J.-L. Static and dynamic energetic disorders in the C60, PC61BM, C70, and PC71BM fullerenes. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 6, 3657–3662 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from the National Science Foundation (DMR-1505535), the Department of Energy (DE-EE0006709) and the Office of Naval Research (N00014-15-1-2713).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588, USA

    Yuchuan Shao, Yongbo Yuan & Jinsong Huang

Authors
  1. Yuchuan Shao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yongbo Yuan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jinsong Huang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

J.H. and Y.S. conceived the idea, designed the experiments and wrote the paper. Y.Y. conducted the X-ray diffraction measurements and Y.S. carried out all other experiments. J.H. supervised the project.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jinsong Huang.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Supplementary information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Shao, Y., Yuan, Y. & Huang, J. Correlation of energy disorder and open-circuit voltage in hybrid perovskite solar cells. Nat Energy 1, 15001 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nenergy.2015.1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nenergy.2015.1

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing