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Effect of Cation Composition on the Mechanical Stability of Perovskite Solar Cells
Author(s) -
Rolston Nicholas,
Printz Adam D.,
Tracy Jared M.,
Weerasinghe Hasitha C.,
Vak Doojin,
Haur Lew Jia,
Priyadarshi Anish,
Mathews Nripan,
Slotcavage Daniel J.,
McGehee Michael D.,
Kalan Roghi E.,
Zielinski Kenneth,
Grimm Ronald L.,
Tsai Hsinhan,
Nie Wanyi,
Mohite Aditya D.,
Gholipour Somayeh,
Saliba Michael,
Grätzel Michael,
Dauskardt Reinhold H.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
advanced energy materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.08
H-Index - 220
eISSN - 1614-6840
pISSN - 1614-6832
DOI - 10.1002/aenm.201702116
Subject(s) - materials science , perovskite (structure) , formamidinium , grain boundary , fracture toughness , chemical engineering , caesium , perovskite solar cell , composite material , inorganic chemistry , layer (electronics) , microstructure , chemistry , engineering
Photoactive perovskite semiconductors are highly tunable, with numerous inorganic and organic cations readily incorporated to modify optoelectronic properties. However, despite the importance of device reliability and long service lifetimes, the effects of various cations on the mechanical properties of perovskites are largely overlooked. In this study, the cohesion energy of perovskites containing various cation combinations of methylammonium, formamidinium, cesium, butylammonium, and 5‐aminovaleric acid is reported. A trade‐off is observed between the mechanical integrity and the efficiency of perovskite devices. High efficiency devices exhibit decreased cohesion, which is attributed to reduced grain sizes with the inclusion of additional cations and PbI 2 additives. Microindentation hardness testing is performed to estimate the fracture toughness of single‐crystal perovskite, and the results indicated perovskites are inherently fragile, even in the absence of grain boundaries and defects. The devices found to have the highest fracture energies are perovskites infiltrated into a porous TiO 2 /ZrO 2 /C triple layer, which provide extrinsic reinforcement and shielding for enhanced mechanical and chemical stability.