Stability and Degradation in Hybrid Perovskites: Is the Glass Half-Empty or Half-Full?

Ioannis Deretzis; Emanuele Smecca; Giovanni Mannino; Antonino La Magna; Tsutomu Miyasaka; Alessandra Alberti

doi:10.1021/acs.jpclett.8b00120

Stability and Degradation in Hybrid Perovskites: Is the Glass Half-Empty or Half-Full?

J Phys Chem Lett. 2018 Jun 7;9(11):3000-3007. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.8b00120. Epub 2018 May 21.

Authors

Ioannis Deretzis¹, Emanuele Smecca¹, Giovanni Mannino¹, Antonino La Magna¹, Tsutomu Miyasaka², Alessandra Alberti¹

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Microelectronics and Microsystems (CNR-IMM) , Zona Industriale - VIII Strada 5 , Catania 95121 , Italy.
² Graduate School of Engineering , Toin University of Yokohama , 1614, Kuroganecho , Aoba, Yokohama 225-8503 , Japan.

PMID: 29763327
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.8b00120

Abstract

Methylammonium lead iodide (CH₃NH₃PbI₃) is an extensively used perovskite material with a remarkable potential for solar energy conversion. Despite its high photovoltaic efficiency, the material suffers from fast degradation when aging in atmospheric conditions and/or under sunlight. Here we review the principal degradation mechanisms of CH₃NH₃PbI₃, focusing on the thermodynamic, environmental and polymorphic parameters that impact the stability of the material. A critical analysis of the available data indicates that degradation under ambient conditions is a defect-generation process that is highly localized on surfaces and interfaces, while it is further enhanced above the tetragonal-cubic transition at ∼54 °C. Within this context, we discuss the conservative role of N₂ and propose strategies for the emergence of industrially viable hybrid photovoltaics.