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Al-Anesi B, Grandhi GK, Pecoraro A, Sugathan V, Viswanath NSM, Ali-Löytty H, Liu M, Ruoko TP, Lahtonen K, Manna D, Toikkonen S, Muñoz-García AB, Pavone M, Vivo P. Antimony-Bismuth Alloying: The Key to a Major Boost in the Efficiency of Lead-Free Perovskite-Inspired Photovoltaics. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2023; 19:e2303575. [PMID: 37452442 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202303575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
The perovskite-inspired Cu2 AgBiI6 (CABI) material has been gaining increasing momentum as photovoltaic (PV) absorber due to its low toxicity, intrinsic air stability, direct bandgap, and a high absorption coefficient in the range of 105 cm-1 . However, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of existing CABI-based PVs is still seriously constrained by the presence of both intrinsic and surface defects. Herein, antimony (III) (Sb3+ ) is introduced into the octahedral lattice sites of the CABI structure, leading to CABI-Sb with larger crystalline domains than CABI. The alloying of Sb3+ with bismuth (III) (Bi3+ ) induces changes in the local structural symmetry that dramatically increase the formation energy of intrinsic defects. Light-intensity dependence and electron impedance spectroscopic studies show reduced trap-assisted recombination in the CABI-Sb PV devices. CABI-Sb solar cells feature a nearly 40% PCE enhancement (from 1.31% to 1.82%) with respect to the CABI devices mainly due to improvement in short-circuit current density. This work will promote future compositional design studies to enhance the intrinsic defect tolerance of next-generation wide-bandgap absorbers for high-performance and stable PVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Basheer Al-Anesi
- Hybrid Solar Cells, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, P.O. Box 541, Tampere, FI-33014, Finland
| | - G Krishnamurthy Grandhi
- Hybrid Solar Cells, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, P.O. Box 541, Tampere, FI-33014, Finland
| | - Adriana Pecoraro
- Department of Physics "Ettore Pancini" University of Naples Federico II, Comp. Univ. Monte Sant'Angelo, Naples, 80126, Italy
| | - Vipinraj Sugathan
- Hybrid Solar Cells, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, P.O. Box 541, Tampere, FI-33014, Finland
| | | | - Harri Ali-Löytty
- Surface Science Group, Photonics Laboratory, Tampere University, P.O. Box 692, Tampere, FI-33014, Finland
| | - Maning Liu
- Hybrid Solar Cells, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, P.O. Box 541, Tampere, FI-33014, Finland
| | - Tero-Petri Ruoko
- Smart Photonic Materials, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, P.O. Box 541, Tampere, FI-33101, Finland
| | - Kimmo Lahtonen
- Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, P.O. Box 692, Tampere, FI-33014, Finland
| | - Debjit Manna
- Hybrid Solar Cells, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, P.O. Box 541, Tampere, FI-33014, Finland
| | - Sami Toikkonen
- Hybrid Solar Cells, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, P.O. Box 541, Tampere, FI-33014, Finland
| | - Ana Belén Muñoz-García
- Department of Physics "Ettore Pancini" University of Naples Federico II, Comp. Univ. Monte Sant'Angelo, Naples, 80126, Italy
| | - Michele Pavone
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Comp. Univ. Monte Sant'Angelo, Naples, 80126, Italy
| | - Paola Vivo
- Hybrid Solar Cells, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, P.O. Box 541, Tampere, FI-33014, Finland
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Abdi G, Gryl M, Sławek A, Kowalewska E, Mazur T, Podborska A, Mech K, Zawal P, Pritam A, Kmita A, Alluhaibi L, Maximenko A, Vijayakumar C, Szaciłowski K. Influence of crystal structure and composition on optical and electronic properties of pyridinium-based bismuth iodide complexes. Dalton Trans 2023; 52:14649-14662. [PMID: 37791584 DOI: 10.1039/d3dt02910g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
This study investigates the impacts of structure and composition on the optical and electronic properties of a series of pyridinium-based bismuth iodide complexes. Organic substrates with various functional groups, such as 4-aminopyridine (4-Ampy), 4-methylpyridine (4-Mepy), 4-dimethylaminopyridine (4-Dmapy), and 4-pyridinecarbonitrile (4-CNpy) with different electron-donating and electron-withdrawing groups at the para position of the pyridine ring were employed. Crystallographic analysis reveals various bismuth iodide structures, including 1D chains and discrete 0D motifs. The optical band gap of these materials, identified via diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and verified with density functional theory (DFT) calculations, is influenced by the crystal packing and stabilising interactions. Through a comprehensive analysis, including Hirshfeld surface (HS) and void assessment, the study underscores the influence of noncovalent intermolecular interactions on crystal packing. Spectroscopic evaluations provide insights into electronic interactions, elucidating the role of electron donor and acceptor substituents within the lattice. Thermogravimetric differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) indicates structural stability up to 250 °C. Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) reveals significant conductivity in the range of 10-20 mS per pixel at 298.15 K. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) at the Bi L3 edge indicates a similar oxidation state and electronic environment across all samples, underscoring the role of bismuth centres surrounded by iodides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gisya Abdi
- Academic Centre for Materials and Nanotechnology, AGH University of Krakow, Kawiory 30, 30-055 Kraków, Poland.
| | - Marlena Gryl
- Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 2, 30-387 Kraków, Poland.
| | - Andrzej Sławek
- Academic Centre for Materials and Nanotechnology, AGH University of Krakow, Kawiory 30, 30-055 Kraków, Poland.
| | - Ewelina Kowalewska
- Academic Centre for Materials and Nanotechnology, AGH University of Krakow, Kawiory 30, 30-055 Kraków, Poland.
| | - Tomasz Mazur
- Academic Centre for Materials and Nanotechnology, AGH University of Krakow, Kawiory 30, 30-055 Kraków, Poland.
| | - Agnieszka Podborska
- Academic Centre for Materials and Nanotechnology, AGH University of Krakow, Kawiory 30, 30-055 Kraków, Poland.
| | - Krzysztof Mech
- Academic Centre for Materials and Nanotechnology, AGH University of Krakow, Kawiory 30, 30-055 Kraków, Poland.
| | - Piotr Zawal
- Academic Centre for Materials and Nanotechnology, AGH University of Krakow, Kawiory 30, 30-055 Kraków, Poland.
| | - Anurag Pritam
- Academic Centre for Materials and Nanotechnology, AGH University of Krakow, Kawiory 30, 30-055 Kraków, Poland.
| | - Angelika Kmita
- Academic Centre for Materials and Nanotechnology, AGH University of Krakow, Kawiory 30, 30-055 Kraków, Poland.
| | - Lulu Alluhaibi
- National Synchrotron Radiation Centre SOLARIS, Czerwone Maki 98, 30-392 Kraków, Poland
| | - Alexey Maximenko
- National Synchrotron Radiation Centre SOLARIS, Czerwone Maki 98, 30-392 Kraków, Poland
| | - Chakkooth Vijayakumar
- Photosciences and Photonics Section, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST), Thiruvananthapuram 695 019, India
| | - Konrad Szaciłowski
- Academic Centre for Materials and Nanotechnology, AGH University of Krakow, Kawiory 30, 30-055 Kraków, Poland.
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Grandhi GK, Dhama R, Viswanath NS, Lisitsyna ES, Al-Anesi B, Dana J, Sugathan V, Caglayan H, Vivo P. Role of Self-Trapped Excitons in the Broadband Emission of Lead-Free Perovskite-Inspired Cu 2AgBiI 6. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:4192-4199. [PMID: 37115195 PMCID: PMC10184165 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c00439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
The perovskite-inspired Cu2AgBiI6 (CABI) absorber shows promise for low-toxicity indoor photovoltaics. However, the carrier self-trapping in this material limits its photovoltaic performance. Herein, we examine the self-trapping mechanism in CABI by analyzing the excited-state dynamics of its absorption band at 425 nm, which is responsible for the self-trapped exciton emission, using a combination of photoluminescence and ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopies. Photoexcitation in CABI rapidly generates charge carriers in the silver iodide lattice sites, which localize into the self-trapped states and luminesce. Furthermore, a Cu-Ag-I-rich phase that exhibits similar spectral responses as CABI is synthesized, and a comprehensive structural and photophysical study of this phase provides insights into the nature of the excited states of CABI. Overall, this work explains the origin of self-trapping in CABI. This understanding will play a crucial role in optimizing its optoelectronic properties. It also encourages compositional engineering as the key to suppressing self-trapping in CABI.
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Affiliation(s)
- G. Krishnamurthy Grandhi
- Hybrid
Solar Cells, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, P.O. Box 541, FI-33014 Tampere
University, Finland
| | - Rakesh Dhama
- Faculty
of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere
University, 33720 Tampere, Finland
| | | | - Ekaterina S. Lisitsyna
- Faculty
of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere
University, Korkeakoulunkatu 8, 33720 Tampere, Finland
| | - Basheer Al-Anesi
- Hybrid
Solar Cells, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, P.O. Box 541, FI-33014 Tampere
University, Finland
| | - Jayanta Dana
- Faculty
of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere
University, Korkeakoulunkatu 8, 33720 Tampere, Finland
| | - Vipinraj Sugathan
- Hybrid
Solar Cells, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, P.O. Box 541, FI-33014 Tampere
University, Finland
| | - Humeyra Caglayan
- Faculty
of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere
University, 33720 Tampere, Finland
| | - Paola Vivo
- Hybrid
Solar Cells, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, P.O. Box 541, FI-33014 Tampere
University, Finland
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