TY - JOUR A1 - Caprioglio, Pietro A1 - Stolterfoht, Martin A1 - Wolff, Christian Michael A1 - Unold, Thomas A1 - Rech, Bernd A1 - Albrecht, Steve A1 - Neher, Dieter T1 - On the relation between the open-circuit voltage and quasi-fermi level splitting in efficient perovskite solar cells JF - advanced energy materials N2 - Today's perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are limited mainly by their open‐circuit voltage (VOC) due to nonradiative recombination. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the relevant recombination pathways is needed. Here, intensity‐dependent measurements of the quasi‐Fermi level splitting (QFLS) and of the VOC on the very same devices, including pin‐type PSCs with efficiencies above 20%, are performed. It is found that the QFLS in the perovskite lies significantly below its radiative limit for all intensities but also that the VOC is generally lower than the QFLS, violating one main assumption of the Shockley‐Queisser theory. This has far‐reaching implications for the applicability of some well‐established techniques, which use the VOC as a measure of the carrier densities in the absorber. By performing drift‐diffusion simulations, the intensity dependence of the QFLS, the QFLS‐VOC offset and the ideality factor are consistently explained by trap‐assisted recombination and energetic misalignment at the interfaces. Additionally, it is found that the saturation of the VOC at high intensities is caused by insufficient contact selectivity while heating effects are of minor importance. It is concluded that the analysis of the VOC does not provide reliable conclusions of the recombination pathways and that the knowledge of the QFLS‐VOC relation is of great importance. KW - electro-optical materials KW - perovskite solar cells KW - photovoltaic devices KW - thin films Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.201901631 SN - 1614-6832 SN - 1614-6840 VL - 9 IS - 33 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Le Corre, Vincent M. A1 - Stolterfoht, Martin A1 - Perdigón-Toro, Lorena A1 - Feuerstein, Markus A1 - Wolff, Christian Michael A1 - Gil-Escrig, Lidon A1 - Bolink, Henk J. A1 - Neher, Dieter A1 - Koster, L. Jan Anton T1 - Charge Transport Layers Limiting the Efficiency of Perovskite Solar Cells: How To Optimize Conductivity, Doping, and Thickness JF - ACS Applied Energy Materials N2 - Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are one of the main research topics of the photovoltaic community; with efficiencies now reaching up to 24%, PSCs are on the way to catching up with classical inorganic solar cells. However, PSCs have not yet reached their full potential. In fact, their efficiency is still limited by nonradiative recombination, mainly via trap-states and by losses due to the poor transport properties of the commonly used transport layers (TLs). Indeed, state-of-the-art TLs (especially if organic) suffer from rather low mobilities, typically within 10(-5) and 10(-2) cm(-2) V-1 s(-1), when compared to the high mobilities, 1-10 cm(-2) V-1 s(-1), measured for perovskites. This work presents a comprehensive analysis of the effect of the mobility, thickness, and doping density of the transport layers based on combined experimental and modeling results of two sets of devices made of a solution-processed high-performing triple-cation (PCE approximate to 20%). The results are also cross-checked on vacuum-processed MAPbI(3) devices. From this analysis, general guidelines on how to optimize a TL are introduced and especially a new and simple formula to easily calculate the amount of doping necessary to counterbalance the low mobility of the TLs. KW - perovskite solar cells KW - transport layers KW - conductivity KW - doping KW - charge transport Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.9b00856 SN - 2574-0962 VL - 2 IS - 9 SP - 6280 EP - 6287 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wolff, Christian Michael A1 - Caprioglio, Pietro A1 - Stolterfoht, Martin A1 - Neher, Dieter T1 - Nonradiative Recombination in Perovskite Solar Cells BT - the Role of Interfaces JF - Advanced materials N2 - Perovskite solar cells combine high carrier mobilities with long carrier lifetimes and high radiative efficiencies. Despite this, full devices suffer from significant nonradiative recombination losses, limiting their V-OC to values well below the Shockley-Queisser limit. Here, recent advances in understanding nonradiative recombination in perovskite solar cells from picoseconds to steady state are presented, with an emphasis on the interfaces between the perovskite absorber and the charge transport layers. Quantification of the quasi-Fermi level splitting in perovskite films with and without attached transport layers allows to identify the origin of nonradiative recombination, and to explain the V-OC of operational devices. These measurements prove that in state-of-the-art solar cells, nonradiative recombination at the interfaces between the perovskite and the transport layers is more important than processes in the bulk or at grain boundaries. Optical pump-probe techniques give complementary access to the interfacial recombination pathways and provide quantitative information on transfer rates and recombination velocities. Promising optimization strategies are also highlighted, in particular in view of the role of energy level alignment and the importance of surface passivation. Recent record perovskite solar cells with low nonradiative losses are presented where interfacial recombination is effectively overcome-paving the way to the thermodynamic efficiency limit. KW - interfacial recombination KW - open-circuit voltage KW - perovskite solar cells KW - photoluminescence Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201902762 SN - 0935-9648 SN - 1521-4095 VL - 31 IS - 52 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER -