Lead-free organometallic perovskite characterization for environmentally friendly solar cells

Abstract

Solar energy is rapidly emerging to take place of the conventional energy sources due to its cheap and clean energy advantages. It is very important to obtain energy from solar cells for Turkey as well, since Turkey’s nearly half of the energy sources are imported. One of the best way to accomplish this is using lead-free Perovskites in solar cells. The goal of this study was to investigate the preparation and the material characterization methods of the lead-free organometallic Perovskite layers, which were obtained from the reaction of methyl ammonium iodide and various tin halide salts with the help of different polar-aprotic solvents. Applying this kind of Perovskite material prevents the lead-Perovskite’s lead-originated environmental harms, which can show up when the solar panels complete their commercial lifetimes. It is very well known that the potential lead (Pb) exposure can cause decreased fertility, nerve disorders, high blood pressure and memory or concentration problems in human beings. In addition, replacement of DMF, which is usually used in literature with DMSO, prevents potential carcinogen effects of the solvent by inhalation, which may occur in the preparation phase of Perovskite layer. In order to acquire homogenized lead-free perovskite layer for the experimental use, one step method, two step method and solid state method were applied in this study. After development of a homogenized lead-free Perovskite layer step, the layer was ready to be used with hole transport materials (HTM), blocking layers, back contact and front contact in order to obtain a high-efficient solar cell with Perovskite layer. At the end of the research, different kinds of the Perovskite were successfully synthesized and characterized by different material characterization methods. Since all the layers of solar cells need to be optimized separately, electrical characterization was not included in this work as a goal.