Revealing pathways towards efficient and stable eco-friendly tin perovskite solar cells by photo-Hall and surface photo-voltage measurements

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are a promising alternative to silicon SCs, currently dominating the photovoltaic market.

The skyrocket efficiency of lead-based PSCs is achieved due to their ease of production and unique electro-optical properties. However, lead toxicity limits the sustainability and broad application of perovskite technology. Environmentally-friendly tin-PSCs are the most efficient alternative to lead-based PSCs.

Low conversion efficiency and stability are two challenges of tin-PSCs caused by defects in thin-films and selective interfaces.

Advanced characterisation is needed to understand and prevent sources of charge losses in tin-PSCs.In the project HyPerGreen, Artem Musiienko (AM) will control parameters of thin-film and heterojunctions in tin-PSCs and use advanced experimental methods to characterise them. To improve thin-films, AM will incorporate different cations in tin-perovskite.

To understand the influence of additives on tin-perovskite properties, AM will use photo Hall effect measurement (PHM) based on charge transport in the magnetic field under light illumination.

PHM will give deep insight into the effect of composition variation on material properties.To effectively collect free carriers, AM will use interface optimization with different selective layers.

To understand charge separation and optimise charge transport material, AM will apply surface photovoltage (SPV), which gives valuable information on the charge separation quality at the interface.

Using these innovative approaches, AM will develop pathways leading to stable tin-PSCs with an efficiency of over 20%.The host Prof. Abate group at HZB is a global leader in the development of tin-PSCs, with outstanding expertise in tin-PSC technology. AM will contribute his knowledge in semiconductor characterisation by PHM and SPV.

This project aims to provide industrially relevant strategies for tin-PSC improvement essential for the widespread use of sustainable tin-perovskites.