DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Abnormal Current–Voltage Hysteresis Induced by Reverse Bias in Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Perovskite Photovoltaics

Journal Article · · Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [2]
  1. Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States). Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering; University of Washington
  2. Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States). Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering

In this study, reverse bias (RB)-induced abnormal hysteresis is investigated in perovskite solar cells (PVSCs) with nickel oxide (NiOx)/methylammonium lead iodide (CH3NH3PbI3) interfaces. Through comprehensive current-voltage (I-V) characterization and bias-dependent external quantum efficiency (EQE) measurements, we demonstrate that this phenomenon is caused by the interfacial ion accumulation intrinsic to CH3NH3PbI3. Subsequently, via systematic analysis we discover that the abnormal I-V behavior is remarkably similar to tunnel diode I-V characteristics and is due to the formation of a transient tunnel junction at NiOx/CH3NH3PbI3 interfaces under RB. The detailed analysis navigating the complexities of I-V behavior in CH3NH3PbI3-based solar cells provided here ultimately illuminates possibilities in modulating ion motion and hysteresis via interfacial engineering in PVSCs. Moreover, this work shows that RB can alter how CH3NH3PbI3 contributes to the functional nature of devices and provides the first steps toward approaching functional perovskite interfaces in new ways for metrology and analysis of complex transient processes.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE); Asian Office of Aerospace R&D; National Science Foundation (NSF)
Contributing Organization:
The authors acknowledge the support from the Asian Office of Aerospace R&D (FA2386-15-1-4106), the Office of Naval Research (N00014-11-1-0246), and the Department of Energy SunShot (DE-EE0006710). This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (DGE-0718124, DGE- 1256082). A.K.-Y.J. thanks the Boeing-Johnson Foundation for their financial support. The characterization facility in Hillhouse Research Group at University of Washington was used for bias-dependent external quantum efficiency measurements. The authors thank Po-Wei Liang for help with AFM measurements.
Grant/Contract Number:
EE0006710
OSTI ID:
1343580
Report Number(s):
DOE-UW-Jen--14
Journal Information:
Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, Journal Name: Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 7; ISSN 1948-7185
Publisher:
American Chemical SocietyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (61)

Physics of Semiconductor Devices book January 2007
Solution-Processed Nickel Oxide Hole Transport Layers in High Efficiency Polymer Photovoltaic Cells journal January 2013
Working Principles of Perovskite Photodetectors: Analyzing the Interplay Between Photoconductivity and Voltage-Driven Energy-Level Alignment journal October 2015
Nonvolatile Memory Elements Based on Organic Materials journal June 2007
High-Performance and Environmentally Stable Planar Heterojunction Perovskite Solar Cells Based on a Solution-Processed Copper-Doped Nickel Oxide Hole-Transporting Layer journal November 2014
Resistive Switching Behavior in Organic-Inorganic Hybrid CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 −x Cl x Perovskite for Resistive Random Access Memory Devices journal August 2015
Roles of Fullerene-Based Interlayers in Enhancing the Performance of Organometal Perovskite Thin-Film Solar Cells journal February 2015
Mapping Electric Field-Induced Switchable Poling and Structural Degradation in Hybrid Lead Halide Perovskite Thin Films journal September 2015
Ion Migration and the Role of Preconditioning Cycles in the Stabilization of the J - V Characteristics of Inverted Hybrid Perovskite Solar Cells journal October 2015
Perovskite Solar Cells: Revealing Underlying Processes Involved in Light Soaking Effects and Hysteresis Phenomena in Perovskite Solar Cells (Adv. Energy Mater. 14/2015) journal July 2015
Perovskite Solar Cells: Light-Induced Self-Poling Effect on Organometal Trihalide Perovskite Solar Cells for Increased Device Efficiency and Stability (Adv. Energy Mater. 20/2015) journal October 2015
The Significance of Ion Conduction in a Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Lead-Iodide-Based Perovskite Photosensitizer journal May 2015
Organic Charge Carriers for Perovskite Solar Cells journal August 2015
Thin-film solar cells: device measurements and analysis journal March 2004
Numerical simulation of tunnel diodes for multi‐junction solar cells journal August 2008
Interfaces in Perovskite Solar Cells journal February 2015
Effects of Cu doping on nickel oxide thin film prepared by sol–gel solution process journal June 2014
Recent progress in resistive random access memories: Materials, switching mechanisms, and performance journal September 2014
Interfacial modification of hole transport layers for efficient large-area perovskite solar cells achieved via blade-coating journal January 2016
Carrier-Activated Polarization in Organometal Halide Perovskites journal January 2016
Best Practices in Perovskite Solar Cell Efficiency Measurements. Avoiding the Error of Making Bad Cells Look Good journal February 2015
C 60 as an Efficient n-Type Compact Layer in Perovskite Solar Cells journal June 2015
Observable Hysteresis at Low Temperature in “Hysteresis Free” Organic–Inorganic Lead Halide Perovskite Solar Cells journal July 2015
Impact of Capacitive Effect and Ion Migration on the Hysteretic Behavior of Perovskite Solar Cells journal November 2015
Control of IV Hysteresis in CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 Perovskite Solar Cell journal October 2015
Light-Induced Space-Charge Accumulation Zone as Photovoltaic Mechanism in Perovskite Solar Cells journal January 2016
Polymer and Organic Nonvolatile Memory Devices journal February 2011
Nickel Oxide Hole Injection/Transport Layers for Efficient Solution-Processed Organic Light-Emitting Diodes journal July 2014
Organometal Halide Perovskites as Visible-Light Sensitizers for Photovoltaic Cells journal May 2009
Optoelectronic Studies of Methylammonium Lead Iodide Perovskite Solar Cells with Mesoporous TiO 2 : Separation of Electronic and Chemical Charge Storage, Understanding Two Recombination Lifetimes, and the Evolution of Band Offsets during JV Hysteresis journal April 2015
Anomalous Hysteresis in Perovskite Solar Cells journal April 2014
Strong Photocurrent Amplification in Perovskite Solar Cells with a Porous TiO 2 Blocking Layer under Reverse Bias journal October 2014
Emergence of Hysteresis and Transient Ferroelectric Response in Organo-Lead Halide Perovskite Solar Cells journal December 2014
Stark Effect in Perovskite/TiO 2 Solar Cells: Evidence of Local Interfacial Order journal March 2014
Perovskite–fullerene hybrid materials suppress hysteresis in planar diodes journal May 2015
The dynamics of methylammonium ions in hybrid organic–inorganic perovskite solar cells journal May 2015
Ionic transport in hybrid lead iodide perovskite solar cells journal June 2015
Giant switchable photovoltaic effect in organometal trihalide perovskite devices journal December 2014
Lead Iodide Perovskite Sensitized All-Solid-State Submicron Thin Film Mesoscopic Solar Cell with Efficiency Exceeding 9% journal August 2012
Hysteresis and transient behavior in current–voltage measurements of hybrid-perovskite absorber solar cells journal January 2014
Understanding the rate-dependent J–V hysteresis, slow time component, and aging in CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 perovskite solar cells: the role of a compensated electric field journal January 2015
Charge selective contacts, mobile ions and anomalous hysteresis in organic–inorganic perovskite solar cells journal January 2015
Temperature-dependent hysteresis effects in perovskite-based solar cells journal January 2015
Inorganic p-type contact materials for perovskite-based solar cells journal January 2015
The chemical origin of the p-type and n-type doping effects in the hybrid methylammonium–lead iodide (MAPbI 3 ) perovskite solar cells journal January 2015
Dynamic interface charge governing the current–voltage hysteresis in perovskite solar cells journal January 2015
High-efficiency bulk heterojunction memory devices fabricated using organometallic halide perovskite:poly(N-vinylcarbazole) blend active layers journal January 2016
Highly efficient planar perovskite solar cells through band alignment engineering journal January 2015
Organometal halide perovskite solar cells: degradation and stability journal January 2016
Effects of organic inorganic hybrid perovskite materials on the electronic properties and morphology of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) and the photovoltaic performance of planar perovskite solar cells journal January 2015
An organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite logic gate for better computing journal January 2015
Photovoltaic hysteresis and its ramifications for concentrator solar cell design and diagnostics journal January 2005
Qualifying composition dependent p and n self-doping in CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 journal October 2014
Ionic charging by local imbalance at interfaces in hybrid lead halide perovskites journal January 2016
New Phenomenon in Narrow Germanium p − n Junctions journal January 1958
$I$–$V$Characterization of Tunnel Diodes and Multijunction Solar Cells journal September 2006
Efficient Hybrid Solar Cells Based on Meso-Superstructured Organometal Halide Perovskites journal October 2012
High-efficiency solution-processed perovskite solar cells with millimeter-scale grains journal January 2015
High-performance photovoltaic perovskite layers fabricated through intramolecular exchange journal May 2015
Optimal I-V Curve Scan Time of Solar Cells and Modules in Light of Irradiance Level journal January 2012
Methylammonium lead triiodide perovskite solar cells: A new paradigm in photovoltaics journal August 2015

Cited By (10)

Metal Oxide Charge Transport Layers for Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells journal June 2019
Toward Perovskite Solar Cell Commercialization: A Perspective and Research Roadmap Based on Interfacial Engineering journal June 2018
Mixed Cation FA x PEA 1- x PbI 3 with Enhanced Phase and Ambient Stability toward High-Performance Perovskite Solar Cells journal September 2016
Cesium Doped NiO x as an Efficient Hole Extraction Layer for Inverted Planar Perovskite Solar Cells journal June 2017
Consensus statement for stability assessment and reporting for perovskite photovoltaics based on ISOS procedures journal January 2020
Tunable hysteresis behaviour related to trap filling dependence of surface barrier in an individual CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 micro/nanowire journal January 2019
Unraveling surface and bulk trap states in lead halide perovskite solar cells using impedance spectroscopy journal February 2018
Inverted hysteresis in MAPbI 3 perovskite solar cells induced by presetting bias voltage journal May 2019
Consensus statement for stability assessment and reporting for perovskite photovoltaics based on ISOS procedures text January 2020
Consensus statement for stability assessment and reporting for perovskite photovoltaics based on ISOS procedures text January 2020