journal article·2025-12Open access

Ethanol‐Assisted Green‐Solvent‐Based Strategy for Slot‐Die Coated Perovskite Solar Cells with over 70% Eco‐Friendly Solvent Content

Jae Won Ahn, Sung Yong Kim, Soo Woong Jeon, Oui Jin Oh, Seung Min Lee, Jeong Hyeon Park, Woo Cheol Han, Chan Young Kim, Dong Hyun Kim, Mun Young Woo, Myung Ji Kim, Kwon Pyo Lee, Chan Ho Shin, Dong Hun Kang, Sohyun Kang, Jun Hong Noh

Small· Volume 21· Issue 52

Abstract

Abstract Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have recently achieved remarkable power conversion efficiencies, yet their commercial viability critically depends on the development of scalable, eco‐friendly fabrication processes. In particular, eliminating the use of toxic solvents such as N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF) and 2‐methoxyethanol in slot‐die coating remains a major challenge. Here, a green solvent engineering strategy is presented that reduces hazardous solvent content by incorporating ethanol, a benign, low toxicity solvent, into the perovskite precursor solution. In the formulation, the fraction of hazardous solvents is reduced from 50% to 30% by volume. The introduction of ethanol improves substrate wetting and optimizes vapor pressure, both of which are key for achieving uniform film formation in scalable coating processes. Notably, increasing the ethanol content enhances the crystallinity and morphological uniformity of the perovskite films fabricated via slot‐die coating. As a result, a champion power conversion efficiency of 23.72% is achieved, and improved device stability is demonstrated under continuous operation, with performance maintained for over 750 hours under maximum power point tracking. This work highlights a viable pathway toward environmentally responsible and scalable PSC manufacturing.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Perovskite Materials and Applications · TiO2 Photocatalysis and Solar Cells · Organic Light-Emitting Diodes Research

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

School of Civil Environmental and Architectural Engineering Korea University Seoul 02841 Republic of Korea

KU‐KIST Green School Graduate School of Energy and Environment Korea University Seoul 02841 Republic of Korea

Department of Integrative Energy Engineering Korea University Seoul 02841 Republic of Korea

Funding

National Research Foundation of Korea · Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning · Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy

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