Bio-Inspired Graphitic Carbon-Based Large-Area (10 × 10 cm2) Perovskite Solar Cells: Stability Assessments under Indoor, Outdoor, and Water-Soaked Conditions

Selvakumar Pitchaiya; Nandhakumar Eswaramoorthy; Venkatraman Madurai Ramakrishnan; Muthukumarasamy Natarajan; Dhayalan Velauthapillai

doi:10.1021/acsami.2c02463

Bio-Inspired Graphitic Carbon-Based Large-Area (10 × 10 cm²) Perovskite Solar Cells: Stability Assessments under Indoor, Outdoor, and Water-Soaked Conditions

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2022 Sep 28;14(38):43050-43066. doi: 10.1021/acsami.2c02463. Epub 2022 Sep 13.

Authors

Selvakumar Pitchaiya^{1

2}, Nandhakumar Eswaramoorthy³, Venkatraman Madurai Ramakrishnan^{2

4}, Muthukumarasamy Natarajan², Dhayalan Velauthapillai¹

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Engineering and Science, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, 5063 Bergen, Norway.
² Department of Physics, Coimbatore Institute of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641 014, India.
³ School of Mechanical Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632 014, India.
⁴ Department of Physics, Dr. N.G.P. Arts and Science College, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641 048, India.

PMID: 36099647
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c02463

Abstract

In the emerging photovoltaic (PV) technologies, the golden triangle rule includes higher efficiency, longevity (or stability), and low cost, which are the foremost criteria for the root of commercial feasibility. Accordingly, a unique low-cost, ecofriendly, all-solution-processed, "bio-inspired" graphitic carbon (extracted from the most invasive plant species of Eichhornia crassipes: listed as one of the 100 most dangerous species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature) and a mixed halide perovskite interface-engineered, unique single-cell large-scale (10 × 10 sq.cm with an active area of 88 cm²) carbon-based perovskite solar cell (C-PSC) are demonstrated for the first time, delivering a maximum PCE of 6.32%. Notable performance was observed under low light performance for the interface-engineered champion device fabricated using the layer-to-layer approach, which, even when tested under fluorescent room light condition (at 200 lux of about ∼0.1 SUN illumination), exhibited a significant PCE. In terms of addressing the stability issues in the fabricated PSC devices, the present work has adopted a two-step strategy: the instability toward the extrinsic factors is addressed by encapsulation, and the subsequent intrinsic instability issue is also addressed through interfacial engineering. Surprisingly, when tested under various stability conditions (STC) such as ambient air, light (continuous 1 SUN, under room light illumination (0.1 SUN) and direct sunlight), severe damp up to a depth of ∼25 mm water (cold (∼15 °C) and hot (∼65 °C)), acidic pH (∼5), and alkaline pH (∼11)) conditions, the fabricated large-scale carbon-based perovskite solar cells (C-LSPSCs) retained unexpected long-term stability in their performance for over 50 days. As to appraise the performance superiority of the fabricated C-LSPSC devices under various aforesaid testing conditions, a working model of a mini-fan has been practically powered and demonstrated.

Keywords: bio-inspired graphitic carbon; charge transport and interface layer; harsh water-soaked performances; indoor and outdoor performances; large area perovskite solar cells; stability assessments.