Recombination Study of Combined Halides (Cl, Br, I) Perovskite Solar Cells

• Published in: The journal of physical chemistry letters Vol. 5; no. 10; pp. 1628 - 1635
• Main Authors: Suarez, Belen, Gonzalez-Pedro, Victoria, Ripolles, Teresa S, Sanchez, Rafael S, Otero, Luis, Mora-Sero, Ivan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 15.05.2014
• Subjects: Energy Conversion and Storage; Energy and Charge Transport; charge recombination; perovskite; solar cells; photovoltaics; Al2O3; TiO2
• ISSN: 1948-7185; 1948-7185
• DOI: 10.1021/jz5006797

We report on the preparation of a series of solution-processed perovskite solar cells based on methylammonium (MA) lead halide derivatives, MAPbX3, which show tunable optical properties depending on the nature and ratio of the halides employed (X = Cl, Br, and I). Devices have been prepared with different cell architecture, thin film, and mesoporous scaffold (TiO2 and Al2O3). We have analyzed different sample sets focusing on the characterization of the charge recombination by means of impedance spectroscopy (IS). On the one hand, our study discloses that the insertion of both Cl and Br in the perovskite lattice reduces the charge recombination rates in the light absorber film, thus determining the open circuit voltage (V oc) of the device. The samples prepared on a mesoporous Al2O3 electrode present lower charge recombination rates than those devices prepared on mesoporous TiO2. Furthermore, the addition of Br in the perovskite structure was demonstrated to improve slightly the lifetime of the devices; in fact, the efficiencies of all devices tested remained at least at the 80% of the initial value 1 month after their preparation. These results highlight the crucial role of the charge-recombination processes on the performance of the perovskite solar cells and pave the way for further progress on this field.