In recent years, the power conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells has increased to reach over 20%. Finding an effective means of defect passivation is thought to be a promising route for bringing further increases in the power conversion efficiency and the open-circuit voltage (VOC) of perovskite solar cells. Here, we report the use of an organic halide salt phenethylammonium iodide (PEAI) on HC(NH2)2–CH3NH3 mixed perovskite films for surface defect passivation. We find that PEAI can form on the perovskite surface and results in higher-efficiency cells by reducing the defects and suppressing non-radiative recombination. As a result, planar perovskite solar cells with a certificated efficiency of 23.32% (quasi-steady state) are obtained. In addition, a VOC as high as 1.18 V is achieved at the absorption threshold of 1.53 eV, which is 94.4% of the Shockley–Queisser limit VOC (1.25 V). Planar perovskite solar cells that have been passivated using the organic halide salt phenethylammonium iodide are shown to have suppressed non-radiative recombination and operate with a certified power conversion efficiency of 23.3%.

Surface passivation of perovskite film for efficient solar cells

Metal halide perovskite materials are an emerging class of solution-processable semiconductors with considerable potential for use in optoelectronic devices1–3. For example, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based on these materials could see application in flat-panel displays and solid-state lighting, owing to their potential to be made at low cost via facile solution processing, and could provide tunable colours and narrow emission line widths at high photoluminescence quantum yields4–8. However, the highest reported external quantum efficiencies of green- and red-light-emitting perovskite LEDs are around 14 per cent7,9 and 12 per cent8, respectively—still well behind the performance of organic LEDs10–12 and inorganic quantum dot LEDs13. Here we describe visible-light-emitting perovskite LEDs that surpass the quantum efficiency milestone of 20 per cent. This achievement stems from a new strategy for managing the compositional distribution in the device—an approach that simultaneously provides high luminescence and balanced charge injection. Specifically, we mixed a presynthesized CsPbBr3 perovskite with a MABr additive (where MA is CH3NH3), the differing solubilities of which yield sequential crystallization into a CsPbBr3/MABr quasi-core/shell structure. The MABr shell passivates the nonradiative defects that would otherwise be present in CsPbBr3 crystals, boosting the photoluminescence quantum efficiency, while the MABr capping layer enables balanced charge injection. The resulting 20.3 per cent external quantum efficiency represents a substantial step towards the practical application of perovskite LEDs in lighting and display. A strategy for managing the compositional distribution in metal halide perovskite light-emitting diodes enables them to surpass 20% external quantum efficiency—a step towards their practical application in lighting and displays.

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Perovskite light-emitting diodes with external quantum efficiency exceeding 20 per cent

Electrospinning is a versatile and viable technique for generating ultrathin fibers. Remarkable progress has been made with regard to the development of electrospinning methods and engineering of electrospun nanofibers to suit or enable various applications. We aim to provide a comprehensive overview of electrospinning, including the principle, methods, materials, and applications. We begin with a brief introduction to the early history of electrospinning, followed by discussion of its principle and typical apparatus. We then discuss its renaissance over the past two decades as a powerful technology for the production of nanofibers with diversified compositions, structures, and properties. Afterward, we discuss the applications of electrospun nanofibers, including their use as "smart" mats, filtration membranes, catalytic supports, energy harvesting/conversion/storage components, and photonic and electronic devices, as well as biomedical scaffolds. We highlight the most relevant and recent advances related to the applications of electrospun nanofibers by focusing on the most representative examples. We also offer perspectives on the challenges, opportunities, and new directions for future development. At the end, we discuss approaches to the scale-up production of electrospun nanofibers and briefly discuss various types of commercial products based on electrospun nanofibers that have found widespread use in our everyday life.

Electrospinning and Electrospun Nanofibers: Methods, Materials, and Applications

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) require both high efficiency and good long-term stability if they are to be commercialized. It is crucial to finely optimize the energy level matching between the perovskites and hole-transporting materials to achieve better performance. Here, we synthesize a fluorene-terminated hole-transporting material with a fine-tuned energy level and a high glass transition temperature to ensure highly efficient and thermally stable PSCs. We use this material to fabricate photovoltaic devices with 23.2% efficiency (under reverse scanning) with a steady-state efficiency of 22.85% for small-area (~0.094 cm2) cells and 21.7% efficiency (under reverse scanning) for large-area (~1 cm2) cells. We also achieve certified efficiencies of 22.6% (small-area cells, ~0.094 cm2) and 20.9% (large-area, ~1 cm2). The resultant device shows better thermal stability than the device with spiro-OMeTAD, maintaining almost 95% of its initial performance for more than 500 h after thermal annealing at 60 °C. Interfacial losses between device layers play a key role in determining characteristics of solar cells. Jeon et al. address this in perovskite solar cells by synthesizing a hole-transporting layer that is better matched to the surrounding layers, and show high-efficiency and high-stability devices.

A fluorene-terminated hole-transporting material for highly efficient and stable perovskite solar cells

The photovoltaics of organic–inorganic lead halide perovskite materials have shown rapid improvements in solar cell performance, surpassing the top efficiency of semiconductor compounds such as CdTe and CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide) used in solar cells in just about a decade. Perovskite preparation via simple and inexpensive solution processes demonstrates the immense potential of this thin-film solar cell technology to become a low-cost alternative to the presently commercially available photovoltaic technologies. Significant developments in almost all aspects of perovskite solar cells and discoveries of some fascinating properties of such hybrid perovskites have been made recently. This Review describes the fundamentals, recent research progress, present status, and our views on future prospects of perovskite-based photovoltaics, with discussions focused on strategies to improve both intrinsic and extrinsic (environmental) stabilities of high-efficiency devices. Strategies and challenges regardi...

Halide Perovskite Photovoltaics: Background, Status, and Future Prospects

The formation of a dense and uniform thin layer on the substrates is crucial for the fabrication of high-performance perovskite solar cells (PSCs) containing formamidinium with multiple cations and mixed halide anions. The concentration of defect states, which reduce a cell’s performance by decreasing the open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current density, needs to be as low as possible. We show that the introduction of additional iodide ions into the organic cation solution, which are used to form the perovskite layers through an intramolecular exchanging process, decreases the concentration of deep-level defects. The defect-engineered thin perovskite layers enable the fabrication of PSCs with a certified power conversion efficiency of 22.1% in small cells and 19.7% in 1-square-centimeter cells.

Iodide management in formamidinium-lead-halide–based perovskite layers for efficient solar cells

The light-harvesting Sb2S3 surface on mesoporous-TiO2 in inorganic–organic heterojunction solar cells is sulfurized with thioacetamide (TA). The photovoltaic performances are compared before and after TA treatment, and the state of the Sb2S3 is investigated by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS). Although there are no differences in crystallinity and composition, the TA-treated solar cells exhibit significantly enhanced performance compared to pristine Sb2S3-sensitized solar cells. From DLTS analysis, the performance enhancement is mainly attributed to the extinction of trap sites, which are present at a density of (2–5) × 1014 cm−3 in Sb2S3, by TA treatment. Through such a simple treatment, the cell records an overall power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 7.5% through a metal mask under simulated illumination (AM 1.5G, 100 mW cm–2) with a very high open circuit voltage of 711.0 mV. This PCE is, thus far, the highest reported for fully solid-state chalcogenide-sensitized solar cells.

Highly improved Sb2S3 sensitized-inorganic-organic heterojunction solar cells and quantification of traps by deep-level transient spectroscopy

Floating gated silicon-on-insulator nonvolatile memory devices with Au nanoparticles embedded in SiO1.3N insulators were fabricated. The tunneling SiO1.3N insulator, Au nanoparticles, and control SiO1.3N insulator were sequentially deposited by digital sputtering method at 300°C. The size of Au nanoparticles was controlled in the range of 1–5nm by adjusting the deposition thickness of Au layer and the density of Au nanoparticles was approximately 1.5×1012cm−2. A significant threshold voltage shift of fabricated floating gate memory devices was obtained due to the charging effects of Au particles and the memory window was larger than 2.5V.

Floating gated silicon-on-insulator nonvolatile memory devices with Au nanoparticles embedded in SiO1.3N insulators by digital sputtering method

The effect of oxygen partial pressure on band gap modulation of Ga2O3 grown by pulsed laser deposition

Two-dimensional (2D) crystals have a multitude of forms, including semi-metals, semiconductors, and insulators, which are ideal for assembling isolated 2D atomic materials to create van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures. Recently, artificially-stacked materials have been considered promising candidates for nanoelectronic and optoelectronic applications. In this study, we report the vertical integration of layered structures for the fabrication of prototype non-volatile memory devices. A semiconducting-tungsten-disulfide-channel-based memory device is created by sandwiching high-density-of-states multi-layered graphene as a carrier-confining layer between tunnel barriers of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) and silicon dioxide. The results reveal that a memory window of up to 20 V is opened, leading to a high current ratio (>103) between programming and erasing states. The proposed design combination produced layered materials that allow devices to attain perfect retention at 13% charge loss after 10 years, offering new possibilities for the integration of transparent, flexible electronic systems.

Dong Uk Lee

Papers

Iodide management in formamidinium-lead-halide–based perovskite layers for efficient solar cells

Highly improved Sb2S3 sensitized-inorganic-organic heterojunction solar cells and quantification of traps by deep-level transient spectroscopy

Floating gated silicon-on-insulator nonvolatile memory devices with Au nanoparticles embedded in SiO1.3N insulators by digital sputtering method

The effect of oxygen partial pressure on band gap modulation of Ga2O3 grown by pulsed laser deposition

Toward negligible charge loss in charge injection memories based on vertically integrated 2D heterostructures