Robot-Assisted Study of a Near-Infrared Dye in Perovskite Solar Cells

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Renewable Energy
• Photovoltaics

Background:

• Dyes in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) offer benefits beyond light harvesting.
• Investigating dye effects is complex due to numerous material and processing combinations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a hybrid, transferable strategy combining automated workflows and manual evaluation for studying dye effects in PSCs.
• To explore the impact of a near-infrared (NIR) dye as a precursor additive and post-treatment material.

Main Methods:

• Implemented an automated synthesis-characterization workflow for dye evaluation.
• Utilized photoluminescence as a key performance indicator.
• Combined automated workflows with density-functional theory (DFT) computations and manual experiments.

Main Results:

• The automated workflow effectively evaluated dye effects and guided optimal dye additive concentrations.
• The NIR dye (MK245) was found to interact with perovskite, altering its electronic environment.
• Integration of MK245 significantly improved device stability in both mesoscopic triple-layer and conventional thin-film PSCs.

Conclusions:

• A hybrid automated and manual strategy is effective for systematic dye investigation in PSCs.
• Dyes like MK245 can enhance PSC performance and stability through electronic modification.
• This approach provides valuable insights for optimizing dye integration in solar cell technology.