Perovskites are a category of
materials with a unique crystal structure that allows them to absorb sunlight
efficiently. This efficiency is particularly high in the case of CH3NH3Pb1-xSnxI3 mixed perovskites. The combination of lead (Pb) and tin (Sn) in this matrix
provides a broad spectrum of sunlight absorption, enabling the generation of a
larger voltage and, subsequently, increased
power. The primary objective in solar cell development is to maximize
the conversion of sunlight into electricity. Mixed perovskites like CH3NH3Pb1-xSnxI3 have demonstrated significant potential in this regard. Their tunable bandgap,
courtesy of varying the Pb: Sn ratio, allows for the optimization of sunlight absorption.
The result is solar cells that surpass many conventional counterparts in terms
of energy efficiency. Another significant advantage of these mixed perovskite
solar cells is their cost-effectiveness. They can be manufactured using
solution-based processes, which are less expensive than the high-vacuum methods
required for traditional silicon solar cells. While the prospects for mixed
perovskite solar cells are undeniably promising, there are concerns about the
toxicity of lead, a key component of these cells. Lead is known to have harmful
effects on the environment and health. The aim of our work is to reduce or
eliminate lead toxicity in the perovskite cell while maintaining its
efficiency.
References
[1]
Jäger-Waldau, A. (2011) Photovoltaics: Status and Perspectives until 2020. Green, 1, 277-290. https://doi.org/10.1515/green.2011.027
[2]
Edenhofer, O., Pichs-Madruga, R. and Sokona, Y. (2011) Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation. Special Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. http://srren.ipcc-wg3.de/report https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139151153
[3]
Zillmer, J., et al. (2022) The Role of SnF2 Additive on Interface Formation in All Lead-Free FASnI3 Perovskite Solar Cells. Advanced Functional Materials, 32, Article ID: 2109649.
[4]
Peplow, M. (2023) A New Kind of Solar Cell Is Coming: Is It the Future of Green Energy? Nature, 623, 902-905. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-03882-x
[5]
Podapangi, S.K., et al. (2023) Green Solvents, Materials, and Lead-Free Semiconductors for Sustainable Fabrication of Perovskite Solar Cells. RSC Advances, 13, 18165-18206. https://doi.org/10.1039/D3RA01692G
[6]
Siegler, T.D., et al. (2022) The Path to Perovskite Commercialization: A Perspective from the United States Solar Energy Technologies Office. ACS Energy Letters, 7, 1728-1734. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.2c00698
[7]
Mosconi, E., Umari, P. and De Angelis, F. (2015) Electronic and Optical Properties of Mixed Sn-Pb Organohalide Perovskites: A First Principles Investigation. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 3, 9208-9215. https://doi.org/10.1039/C4TA06230B
[8]
Goyal, A., McKechnie, S., Pashov, D., Tumas, W., Van Schilfgaarde, M. and Stevanović, V. (2018) Origin of Pronounced Nonlinear Band Gap Behavior in Lead-Tin Hybrid Perovskite Alloys. Chemistry of Materials, 30, 3920-3928. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.8b01695
[9]
Liu, H., et al. (2023) Pure Tin Halide Perovskite Solar Cells: Focusing on Preparation and Strategies. Advanced Energy Materials, 13, Article ID: 2202209. https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202202209
Quarti, C., et al. (2016) Structural and Optical Properties of Methylammonium Lead Iodide across the Tetragonal to Cubic Phase Transition: Implications for Perovskite Solar Cells. Energy & Environmental Science, 9, 155-163. https://doi.org/10.1039/C5EE02925B
[12]
Teng, Q., Shi, T.-T., Tian, R.-Y., Yang, X.-B. and Zhao, Y.-J. (2017) Role of Organic Cations on Hybrid Halide Perovskite CH3NH3PbI3 Surfaces. Journal of Solid State Chemistry, 258, 488-494. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jssc.2017.10.029
[13]
Ranjan, R., et al. (2023) SCAPS Study on the Effect of Various Hole Transport Layer on Highly Efficient 31.86% Eco-Friendly CZTS Based Solar Cell. Scientific Reports, 13, Article No. 18411. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-44845-6
[14]
Iftikhar, F.J., et al. (2021) Structural and Optoelectronic Properties of Hybrid Halide Perovskites for Solar Cells. Organic Electronics, 91, Article ID: 106077. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgel.2021.106077
[15]
Yan, J., Song, X., Chen, Y. and Zhang, Y. (2020) Gradient Band Gap Perovskite Films with Multiple Photoluminescence Peaks. Optical Materials, 99, Article ID: 109513. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optmat.2019.109513
[16]
Baikie, T., et al. (2013) Synthesis and Crystal Chemistry of the Hybrid Perovskite (CH3NH3)PbI3 for Solid-State Sensitised Solar Cell Applications. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 1, 5628-5641. https://doi.org/10.1039/c3ta10518k
Jung, H.S. and Park, N.-G. (2015) Perovskite Solar Cells: From Materials to Devices. Small, 11, 10-25. https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.201402767
[19]
Mandadapu, U., Vedanayakam, S.V., Thyagarajan, K., Reddy, M.R. and Babu, B.J. (2017) Design and Simulation of High Efficiency Tin Halide Perovskite Solar Cell. International Journal of Renewable Energy Research, 7, 1604-1612.
[20]
Mandadapu, U., Vedanayakam, S.V. and Thyagarajan, K. (2017) Simulation and Analysis of Lead Based Perovskite Solar Cell Using SCAPS-1D. Indian Journal of Science and Technology, 10, 1-8.
[21]
Baig, F. (2019) Numerical Analysis for Efficiency Enhancement of Thin Film Solar Cells. Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia.
[22]
Minemoto, T. and Murata, M. (2015) Theoretical Analysis on Effect of Band Offsets in Perovskite Solar Cells. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 133, 8-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2014.10.036
[23]
Du, H.-J., Wang, W.-C. and Zhu, J.-Z. (2016) Device Simulation of Lead-Free CH3NH3SnI3 Perovskite Solar Cells with High Efficiency. Chinese Physics B, 25, Article ID: 108802. https://doi.org/10.1088/1674-1056/25/10/108802
[24]
Ananda, W. (2017) External Quantum Efficiency Measurement of Solar Cell. 2017 15th International Conference on Quality in Research (QiR): International Symposium on Electrical and Computer Engineering, Nusa Dua, 24-27 July 2017, 450-456. https://doi.org/10.1109/QIR.2017.8168528
[25]
Jacobsson, T.J., Pazoki, M., Hagfeldt, A. and Edvinsson, T. (2015) Goldschmidt’s Rules and Strontium Replacement in Lead Halogen Perovskite Solar Cells: Theory and Preliminary Experiments on CH3 NH3 SrI3. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 119, 25673-25683. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.5b06436
[26]
Travis, W., Glover, E.N.K., Bronstein, H., Scanlon, D.O. and Palgrave, R.G. (2016) On the Application of the Tolerance Factor to Inorganic and Hybrid Halide Perovskites: A Revised System. Chemical Science, 7, 4548-4556. https://doi.org/10.1039/C5SC04845A
[27]
Chouhan, L., Ghimire, S., Subrahmanyam, C., Miyasaka, T. and Biju, V. (2020) Synthesis, Optoelectronic Properties and Applications of Halide Perovskites. Chemical Society Reviews, 49, 2869-2885. https://doi.org/10.1039/C9CS00848A
[28]
Zhang, L., et al. (2023) Advances in the Application of Perovskite Materials. Nano-Micro Letters, 15, 177.
[29]
Islam, M.R., et al. (2024) Tuning the Optical, Electronic, and Mechanical Properties of Inorganic Ca3PCl3 Perovskite via Biaxial Strain. Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids, 184, Article ID: 111722. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpcs.2023.111722
[30]
Zhang, Y. and Liu, H. (2019) Nanowires for High-Efficiency, Low-Cost Solar Photovoltaics. Crystals, 9, Article No. 87. https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst9020087
[31]
Du, T., et al. (2020) Light-Intensity and Thickness Dependent Efficiency of Planar Perovskite Solar Cells: Charge Recombination versus Extraction. Journal of Materials Chemistry C, 8, 12648-12655. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03390A
[32]
Zhou, Y., et al. (2016) Doping and Alloying for Improved Perovskite Solar Cells. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 4, 17623-17635. https://doi.org/10.1039/C6TA08699C
[33]
Manser, J.S., Christians, J.A. and Kamat, P.V. (2016) Intriguing Optoelectronic Properties of Metal Halide Perovskites. Chemical Reviews, 116, 12956-13008. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.6b00136
[34]
Jamal, M.S., et al. (2018) Fabrication Techniques and Morphological Analysis of Perovskite Absorber Layer for High-Efficiency Perovskite Solar Cell: A Review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 98, 469-488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2018.09.016
[35]
Lewis, J. (2006) Material Challenge for Flexible Organic Devices. Materials Today, 9, 38-45. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1369-7021(06)71446-8
[36]
Ding, C., et al. (2022) Over 15% Efficiency PbS Quantum-Dot Solar Cells by Synergistic Effects of Three Interface Engineering: Reducing Nonradiative Recombination and Balancing Charge Carrier Extraction. Advanced Energy Materials, 12, Article ID: 2201676. https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202201676
