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Journal ArticleDOI

Consensus stability testing protocols for organic photovoltaic materials and devices

TL;DR: Procedures for testing organic solar cell devices and modules with respect to stability and operational lifetime are described and generally agreed test conditions and practices are generally agreed to allow ready comparison between laboratories and to help improving the reliability of reported values.
About: This article is published in Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells.The article was published on 2011-05-01. It has received 805 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Protocol (science).
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Simultaneous enhancement of open-circuit voltage, short-circuits current density, and fill factor in highly efficient polymer solar cells by incorporating an alcohol/water-soluble conjugated polymer as cathode interlayer is domonstrated.
Abstract: Simultaneous enhancement of open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current density, and fill factor in highly efficient polymer solar cells by incorporating an alcohol/water-soluble conjugated polymer as cathode interlayer is domonstrated. When combined with a low-bandgap polymer PTB7 as the electron donor material, the power efficiency of the devices is improved to a certified 8.370%. Due to the drastic improvement in efficiency and easy utilization, this method opens new opportunities for PSCs from various material systems to improve towards 10% efficiency.

2,019 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the causes of failure and associated mechanisms of device degradation, approaches to improve stability, and methods and protocols are discussed in detail and form the main focus of the review article.
Abstract: Organometal halide perovskite solar cells have evolved in an exponential manner in the two key areas of efficiency and stability. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) reached 20.1% late last year. The key disquiet was stability, which has been limiting practical application, but now the state of the art is promising, being measured in thousands of hours. These improvements have been achieved through the application of different materials, interfaces and device architecture optimizations, especially after the investigation of hole conductor free mesoporous devices incorporating carbon electrodes, which promise stable, low cost and easy device fabrication methods. However, this work is still far from complete. There are various issues associated with the degradation of Omh-perovskite, and the interface and device instability which must be addressed to achieve good reproducibility and long lifetimes for Omh-PSCs with high conversion efficiencies. A comprehensive understanding of these issues is required to achieve breakthroughs in stability and practical outdoor applications of Omh-PSCs. For successful small and large scale applications, besides the improvement of the PCE, the stability of Omh-PSCs has to be improved. The causes of failure and associated mechanisms of device degradation, followed by the origins of degradation, approaches to improve stability, and methods and protocols are discussed in detail and form the main focus of this review article.

1,403 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The developments in stability/degradation of OPVs in the last five years are reviewed, such as inverted device structures of the bulk heterojunction geometry device, which allows for more stable metal electrodes, the choice of more photostable active materials, the introduction of interfacial layers, and roll-to-roll fabrication.
Abstract: Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) evolve in an exponential manner in the two key areas of efficiency and stability. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) has in the last decade been increased by almost a factor of ten approaching 10%. A main concern has been the stability that was previously measured in minutes, but can now, in favorable circumstances, exceed many thousands of hours. This astonishing achievement is the subject of this article, which reviews the developments in stability/degradation of OPVs in the last five years. This progress has been gained by several developments, such as inverted device structures of the bulk heterojunction geometry device, which allows for more stable metal electrodes, the choice of more photostable active materials, the introduction of interfacial layers, and roll-to-roll fabrication, which promises fast and cheap production methods while creating its own challenges in terms of stability.

1,258 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Recommendations are made on how accelerated testing should be performed to rapidly develop solar cells that are both extraordinarily efficient and stable.
Abstract: This review article examines the current state of understanding in how metal halide perovskite solar cells can degrade when exposed to moisture, oxygen, heat, light, mechanical stress, and reverse bias. It also highlights strategies for improving stability, such as tuning the composition of the perovskite, introducing hydrophobic coatings, replacing metal electrodes with carbon or transparent conducting oxides, and packaging. The article concludes with recommendations on how accelerated testing should be performed to rapidly develop solar cells that are both extraordinarily efficient and stable.

962 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the degradation mechanism of planar-structured CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite solar cells (PSCs) was investigated under various simulated environmental conditions.
Abstract: The stability of encapsulated planar-structured CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3) perovskite solar cells (PSCs) was investigated under various simulated environmental conditions. The tests were performed under approximately one sun (100 mW cm−2) illumination, varying temperature (up to 85 °C cell temperature) and humidity (up to 80%). The application of advanced sealing techniques improved the device stability, but all devices showed significant degradation after prolonged aging at high temperature and humidity. The degradation mechanism was studied by post-mortem analysis of the disassembled cells using SEM and XRD. This revealed that the degradation was mainly due to the decomposition of MAPbI3, as a result of reaction with H2O, and the subsequent reaction of hydroiodic acid, formed during MAPbI3 decomposition, with the silver back contact electrode layer.

866 citations

References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the current understanding of stability/degradation in organic and polymer solar cell devices is presented and the methods for studying and elucidating degradation are discussed Methods for enhancing the stability through the choice of better active materials, encapsulation, application of getter materials and UV-filters are also discussed

2,284 citations


"Consensus stability testing protoco..." refers background in this paper

  • ...The current generation is a source of electrically induced stresses that enhance failure modes such as the corrosion of metallic parts [11]....

    [...]

  • ...The production of photocurrent within the device may generate damaging electrical and/ or electrochemical stresses that affect the metallic contacts [11]....

    [...]

  • ...Furthermore, OPV systems may have other failure modes than inorganic systems including photo-oxidation, change in morphologies of the active layer, and chemical degradation of the electrodes and interfaces [11]....

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the spectral properties of organic solar cells under standard reporting conditions were measured using four types of organic test cells and two types of silicon reference cells (unfiltered and with a KG5 color filter).
Abstract: Methods to accurately measure the current–voltage characteristics of organic solar cells under standard reporting conditions are presented. Four types of organic test cells and two types of silicon reference cells (unfiltered and with a KG5 color filter) are selected to calculate spectral-mismatch factors for different test-cell/reference-cell combinations. The test devices include both polymer/fullerene-based bulk-heterojunction solar cells and small-molecule-based heterojunction solar cells. The spectral responsivities of test cells are measured as per American Society for Testing and Materials Standard E1021, and their dependence on light-bias intensity is reported. The current–voltage curves are measured under 100 mW cm–2 standard AM 1.5 G (AM: air mass) spectrum (International Electrotechnical Commission 69094-1) generated from a source set with a reference cell and corrected for spectral error.

549 citations


"Consensus stability testing protoco..." refers background in this paper

  • ...Discussions on the device layout and active area effects, as well as descriptions of accurate measurements of device performance, can be found in the literature (see, for example, [24,25])....

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Proceedings ArticleDOI
19 May 2002
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors define observed degradation in field-aged photovoltaic modules, including degradation of packaging materials, adhesional loss, degradation of interconnects, degradation due to moisture intrusion, and semiconductor device degradation, and suggest that the onset and progression of degradation need to be studied to gain a more comprehensive understanding of module degradation rates and module failures.
Abstract: Degradation leading to failure in photovoltaic modules follows a progression that is dependent on multiple factors, some of which interact causing degradation that is difficult to simulate in the lab. This paper defines observed degradation in field-aged modules, including degradation of packaging materials, adhesional loss, degradation of interconnects, degradation due to moisture intrusion, and semiconductor device degradation. Additionally, this paper suggests that the onset and progression of degradation need to be studied to gain a more comprehensive understanding of module degradation rates and module failures.

301 citations


"Consensus stability testing protoco..." refers background in this paper

  • ...Interestingly, it is commonly the case that the majority of the failures of crystalline silicon PV modules are associated with solder joints, busbars and other interconnects [4,5]....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A round robin for the performance of roll-to-roll coated flexible large-area polymer solarcell modules involving 18 different laboratories in Northern America, Europe and Middle East is presented in this paper.

220 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the short circuit current under white light illumination was monitored over time for different temperatures, ranging from 40 °C to 105 °C, and an Arrhenius type dependence of the degradation constant with temperature was observed and an activation energy of ∼350 meV was derived.
Abstract: Temperature accelerated lifetime measurements are applied to conjugated polymer based bulk heterojunction solar cells. The short circuit current under white light illumination is monitored over time for different temperatures, ranging from 40 °C to 105 °C. An Arrhenius type dependence of the degradation constant with temperature is observed and an activation energy Ea of ∼350 meV is derived.

185 citations