Highly Crystalline Graphene as the Atomic 2D Blanket of a Perovskite Absorber for Enhanced Photovoltaic Performance

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have demonstrated enormous potential for next-generation low-cost photovoltaics. However, due to the intrinsically low bond energy of the perovskite lattice, the long-term stability is normally undermined by ion migration initiated by the electric field and atmospheric conditions. Therefore, ideal ion migration inhibition is important to achieve an enhanced stability of PSCs. Herein, we first introduce a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) fabricated highly crystalline graphene as an atomic 2D blanket directly for the perovskite absorber of PSCs. Iodine and lithium ion migration is effectively inhibited for perovskite solar cells under a continuous static electric field. The water and oxygen corrosion of the unencapsulated device has been dramatically mitigated with atomic graphene blanketing on the perovskite film. With triphenylamine (TPA) molecule modification, the photoconversion efficiencies (PCEs) of the blanketed devices reach 21.54%. The sample with blanket graphene maintains 85% of the initial efficiency, in comparison to 52% of the control sample under voltage bias. After 600 h of aging at 25 °C and 55 RH%, 86% in comparison to <30% of the PCE for the control device is obtained for the sample with a graphene blanket. Thus, we propose that crystalline graphene has an excellent and effective ion-blocking blanket potential for highly stable perovskite devices.