Defect/Interface Recombination Limited Quasi-Fermi Level Splitting and Open-Circuit Voltage in Mono- and Triple-Cation Perovskite Solar Cells

Multication metal-halide perovskites exhibit desirable performance and stability, compared to their monocation counterparts. However, the study of the photophysical properties and the nature of defect states in these materials is still a challenging and ongoing task. Here, we study bulk and interfacial energy loss mechanisms in solution-processed MAPbI3 (MAPI) and (CsPbI3)0.05[(FAPbI3)0.83(MAPbBr3)0.17]0.95 (triple cation) perovskite solar cells using absolute photoluminescence (PL) measurements. In neat MAPI films, we find a significantly smaller quasi-Fermi level splitting than for the triple cation perovskite absorbers, which defines the open-circuit voltage of the MAPI cells. PL measurements at low temperatures (∼20 K) on MAPI films demonstrate that emissive subgap states can be effectively reduced using different passivating agents, which lowers the nonradiative recombination loss at room temperature. We conclude that while triple cation perovskite cells are limited by interfacial recombination, the passivation of surface trap states within the MAPI films is the primary consideration for device optimization.