Lithiumโฃ Doping Boosts Perovskite Solar Cell Lifespan, New Research Shows
Berlin, Germany – A novel approach to stabilizing perovskite solarโข cells-a promising optionโ to traditional silicon-basedโค photovoltaics-has emerged โฃfrom research publishedโข this week in Angewandteโค Chemie International Edition. Scientists have demonstrated that incorporating lithium dopants intoโฃ the spiro-OMeTAD hole-transporting layer โsignificantly enhancesโค the โคcells’ operational stability under realistic day-night cycling โconditions, addressing aโ key hurdle to their widespread commercialization.
Perovskite solar cellsโฃ offerโ the potential for high efficiency โand โlow-cost production, but their โขsusceptibility toโ degradation from environmental โคfactorsโ like moisture, oxygen, and light has limited their long-term performance. This new finding directlyโ tackles a major โdegradation pathway: oxidationโ ofโ the spiro-OMeTAD layer, a critical component for extracting and transporting โpositive charges within the cell. โThe research โฃindicates that lithium doping effectively “paves the air-freeโ oxidation” of spiro-OMeTAD,โ preserving its functionality and extending the lifespan ofโฃ the โdevice.โ
Researchers led by Yang, H. et al. found that โlithiumโค ions interact withโข oxygen vacancies within theโ spiro-OMeTAD,preventing โthe formation of detrimental oxidized species.This stabilization is notably crucial duringโค the repeated heating and cooling cycles that mimic โdaily โคsunlightโ exposure and nighttime temperature drops. The team reported enhanced power โคconversion efficiencies โand significantly โimproved stability โขcompared to undopedโค control devices.Further advancements in hole-transporting materials โareโฃ also contributing to perovskite cell improvements. Liu,X. et al. (2023) demonstrated that extending the โขฯ-conjugated system within spiro-type materials boostsโข bothโข efficiency and stability.โ Similarly, โLai, Q.โ et al. (2023) showed that incorporating multifunctionalโฃ liquid crystalโ additives into the hole transport layer can also enhance performance and โlongevity.These parallel efforts, combined with theโฃ lithium doping strategy, representโ a โขmulti-prongedโค approach to โคovercoming the remaining challenges in perovskite solarโฃ cell technology.
Theโ findings suggest a pathway toward creating โคperovskite โsolar cells capable of reliably generating clean โขenergy for years, โคpotentially accelerating the transition to a more lasting energy future. โFurther research will focus on optimizing the lithiumโข dopingโ concentration and exploring its compatibility with different perovskite compositions to maximize performance and durability.