Examining a Year-Long Chemical Degradation Process and Reaction Kinetics in Pristine and Defect-Passivated Lead Halide Perovskites

Abstract

As a promising solar energy harvesting technology, solution-processed metal halide perovskites (MHPs) are of great current interest in developing low-cost and efficient photovoltaic cells. Despite their excellent optoelectronic properties and the nascent advancements in compositional tailoring and interfacial engineering to develop high-performance MHPs, issues associated with the long-term environmental stability of these materials are yet to be addressed. Here we examine the moisture-induced cascade degradation reactions over a year for methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI 3 )- and formamidinium-rich [Cs 0.05 (MA 0.17 FA 0.83 ) 0.95 Pb(Br 0.17 I 0.83 ) 3 ] formulations at 40 and 85% relative humidity (RH) in the air. The transformative reactions at 85% RH lead to chemical degradation process in both MA-rich and FA-rich perovskites, yielding to the different organic and inorganic byproducts within a few hours, but the exposure to 40% RH retains the longevity of these materials up to several months. The defect passivation by the tetrapropylammonium cation (TPA + ) imparts enhanced stability of MAPbI 3 particles, irrespective of the exposure conditions to water vapor. By resolving thin-film morphology at sub-nanometer to nanometer resolution using solid-state (ss)NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques, kinetics of degradation reactions and structural insights into the inorganic/organic interfaces and degradation products are obtained and compared. Our findings provide mechanistic details into the cascade degradation reactions in pristine and defect-passivated MHPs, enabling guidance for novel passivating and interfacial engineering strategies to further improve the robustness of the MHPs with respect to environmental stressors.

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