Perovskite-perovskite tandem photovoltaics with optimized bandgaps

Journal article

Multi-junction solar photovoltaics are proven to deliver the highest performance of any solar cell architecture, making them ideally suited for deployment in an increasingly efficiency driven solar industry. Conventional multi-junction cells reach up to 45% efficiency, but are so costly to manufacture that they are only currently useful for space and solar concentrator photovoltaics. Here, we demonstrate the first four and two-terminal perovskite-perovskite tandem solar cells with ideally matched bandgaps. We develop an infrared absorbing 1.2eV bandgap perovskite, FA0.75Cs0.25Sn0.5Pb0.5I3, which is capable of delivering 13.6% efficiency. By combining this material with a wider bandgap FA0.83Cs0.17Pb(I0.5Br0.5)3 material, we reach initial monolithic two terminal tandem efficiencies of 14.0 % with over 1.75 V open circuitvoltage. We also make mechanically stacked four terminal tandem cells and obtain 18.1 % efficiency for small cells, and 16.0 % efficiency for 1cm^2 cells. Crucially, we find that our infrared absorbing perovskite cells exhibit excellent thermal and atmospheric stability, unprecedented for Sn based perovskites. This device architecture and materials set will enable “all perovskite” thin film solar cells to reach the highest efficiencies in the long term at the lowest costs, delivering a viable photovoltaic technology to supplant fossil fuels.

Authors: Eperon, G; Leijtens, T; Bush, K; Prasanna, R; Green, T

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Journal: Science
• Publication date: 2016-11-01
• Acceptance date: 2016-10-04
• DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf9717
• ISSN: 1095-9203 and 0036-8075
• Keywords: Article in Press