Issue 3, 2014

Formamidinium lead trihalide: a broadly tunable perovskite for efficient planar heterojunction solar cells

Abstract

Perovskite-based solar cells have attracted significant recent interest, with power conversion efficiencies in excess of 15% already superceding a number of established thin-film solar cell technologies. Most work has focused on a methylammonium lead trihalide perovskites, with a bandgaps of ∼1.55 eV and greater. Here, we explore the effect of replacing the methylammonium cation in this perovskite, and show that with the slightly larger formamidinium cation, we can synthesise formamidinium lead trihalide perovskites with a bandgap tunable between 1.48 and 2.23 eV. We take the 1.48 eV-bandgap perovskite as most suited for single junction solar cells, and demonstrate long-range electron and hole diffusion lengths in this material, making it suitable for planar heterojunction solar cells. We fabricate such devices, and due to the reduced bandgap we achieve high short-circuit currents of >23 mA cm−2, resulting in power conversion efficiencies of up to 14.2%, the highest efficiency yet for solution processed planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells. Formamidinium lead triiodide is hence promising as a new candidate for this class of solar cell.

Graphical abstract: Formamidinium lead trihalide: a broadly tunable perovskite for efficient planar heterojunction solar cells

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
22 Nov 2013
Accepted
03 Jan 2014
First published
06 Jan 2014

Energy Environ. Sci., 2014,7, 982-988

Formamidinium lead trihalide: a broadly tunable perovskite for efficient planar heterojunction solar cells

G. E. Eperon, S. D. Stranks, C. Menelaou, M. B. Johnston, L. M. Herz and H. J. Snaith, Energy Environ. Sci., 2014, 7, 982 DOI: 10.1039/C3EE43822H

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