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Nano Research 2017, 10(11): 3885-3895 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-017-1603-6
Research Article | Issue | Published: 13 May 2017

Dual function of a high-contrast hydrophobic-hydrophilic coating for enhanced stability of perovskite solar cells in extremely humid environments

Show Author's Information Jin Sun Yoo1,§,  Gill Sang Han2,§,  Seongha Lee2,  Min Cheol Kim3,  Mansoo Choi3,  Hyun Suk Jung1( ),  Jung-Kun Lee2( )
School of Advanced Materials Science & Engineering Sungkyunkwan University Suwon 440-746 Republic of Korea
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science University of Pittsburgh PittsburghPennsylvania 15261 USA
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Seoul National University Seoul 08826 Republic of Korea

§ Jin Sun Yoo and Gill Sang Han contributed equally to this work.

Keywords:
surface coating, stability, perovskite solar cell, ultrahydrophobic, self-recovery
Cite this article:
Yoo JS, Han GS, Lee S, et al. Dual function of a high-contrast hydrophobic-hydrophilic coating for enhanced stability of perovskite solar cells in extremely humid environments. Nano Research, 2017, 10(11): 3885-3895. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-017-1603-6
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Abstract Full text Electronic supplementary material About this article

In spite of a continuous increase in their power conversion efficiency (PCE) and an economically viable fabrication process, organic-inorganic perovskite solar cells (PSCs) pose a significant problem when used in practical applications: They show fast degradation of the PCE when exposed to very humid environments. In this study, the stability of PSCs under very humid conditions is greatly enhanced by coating the surface of the PSC devices with a multi-layer film consisting of ultrahydrophobic and relatively hydrophilic layers. A hydrophobic composite of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polyurethane (PU), and SiO2 nanoparticles successfully retards the water molecules from very humid surroundings. Also, the hydrophilic layer with moderately PMMA captures the residual moisture within the perovskite layer; subsequently, the perovskite layer recovers. This dual function of the coating film keeps the PCE of PSCs at 17.3% for 180 min when exposed to over 95% humidity.


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Electronic supplementary material
About this article

Dual function of a high-contrast hydrophobic-hydrophilic coating for enhanced stability of perovskite solar cells in extremely humid environments

Show Author's information Jin Sun Yoo1,§, Gill Sang Han2,§, Seongha Lee2, Min Cheol Kim3, Mansoo Choi3, Hyun Suk Jung1( ), Jung-Kun Lee2( )
School of Advanced Materials Science & Engineering Sungkyunkwan University Suwon 440-746 Republic of Korea
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science University of Pittsburgh PittsburghPennsylvania 15261 USA
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Seoul National University Seoul 08826 Republic of Korea

§ Jin Sun Yoo and Gill Sang Han contributed equally to this work.

Abstract

In spite of a continuous increase in their power conversion efficiency (PCE) and an economically viable fabrication process, organic-inorganic perovskite solar cells (PSCs) pose a significant problem when used in practical applications: They show fast degradation of the PCE when exposed to very humid environments. In this study, the stability of PSCs under very humid conditions is greatly enhanced by coating the surface of the PSC devices with a multi-layer film consisting of ultrahydrophobic and relatively hydrophilic layers. A hydrophobic composite of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polyurethane (PU), and SiO2 nanoparticles successfully retards the water molecules from very humid surroundings. Also, the hydrophilic layer with moderately PMMA captures the residual moisture within the perovskite layer; subsequently, the perovskite layer recovers. This dual function of the coating film keeps the PCE of PSCs at 17.3% for 180 min when exposed to over 95% humidity.

Keywords: surface coating, stability, perovskite solar cell, ultrahydrophobic, self-recovery

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Publication history
Copyright
Acknowledgements

Publication history

Received: 19 December 2016
Revised: 08 March 2017
Accepted: 27 March 2017
Published: 13 May 2017
Issue date: November 2017

Copyright

© Tsinghua University Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2017

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

This work was supported from the Global Frontier R&D Program on Center for Multiscale Energy System, Republic of Korea (No. 2012M3A6A7054855) and National Science Foundation (Nos. CMMI-1333182 and EPMD-1408025).

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