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Updated: Mar 20, 2026
Influence of Hybrid Perovskite Fabrication Methods on Film Formation, Electronic Structure, and Solar Cell Performance
Published on: February 27, 2017
Acetate Salts as Nonhalogen Additives To Improve Perovskite Film Morphology for High-Efficiency Solar Cells
Qiliang Wu1, Pengcheng Zhou1, Weiran Zhou1
1Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Synergetic Innovation Center of Quantum Information & Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) , Hefei 230026, China.
Adding acetate salts like ammonium acetate (NH4Ac) to perovskite solar cells (PSCs) improves film quality and boosts efficiency. NH4Ac enhanced power conversion efficiency by 23.2% in PSCs.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Renewable Energy
- Photovoltaics
Background:
- The two-step fabrication method for perovskite solar cells (PSCs) often results in poor film morphology and coverage.
- Uncontrolled film growth in PSCs limits their power conversion efficiency (PCE).
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a facile method for improving perovskite film morphology in PSCs.
- To investigate the effect of acetate salts as non-halogen additives on perovskite film formation and device performance.
Main Methods:
- Incorporating ammonium acetate (NH4Ac) and sodium acetate (NaAc) into the CH3NH3I solution for perovskite film fabrication.
- Utilizing Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to analyze perovskite film morphology.
- Fabricating and characterizing planar heterojunction organo-lead halide PSCs.
Main Results:
- Ammonium acetate (NH4Ac) additive significantly improved perovskite film morphology, reducing pinholes and increasing surface coverage.
- The optimized NH4Ac concentration (10 wt%) led to a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 17.02%, a 23.2% enhancement over the pristine device.
- Sodium acetate (NaAc) improved film morphology but did not enhance device efficiency.
- Improved morphology with NH4Ac increased optical absorption and enhanced the perovskite/spiro-OMeTAD interface contact, boosting short-circuit current.
Conclusions:
- Acetate salts, particularly NH4Ac, are effective non-halogen additives for improving perovskite film quality in PSCs.
- NH4Ac incorporation offers a promising strategy to enhance the performance of organo-lead halide perovskite solar cells.
- The study highlights the importance of film morphology control for efficient PSCs.
