Opal-like CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite solar cells : effect of the 3D structuration on the conversion efficiency

In this work, the 3D structuration of perovskite films is studied in order to highlight the effect of a periodic porous structure on the optical properties of the films (light harvesting, optical coloration, semi-transparency…) and on the PV efficiency, in comparison with dense perovskite films usually used in planar solar cells configuration.
The opal-like perovskite scaffold is obtained from templating fabrication method, with polystyrene beads as structuring agent. Five PS bead diameters are studied: 300 nm, 540 nm, 810 nm, 1.0 µm and 2.1 µm, to highlight the effect of the PS bead diameter on the optical properties of the films and on the PV efficiency. PbI2/CH3NH3I 0.7M in DMSO leads to the most covering, homogeneous and overlayer-free porous films. The PV efficiency of the corresponding cells increases with the bead diameter. A significant improvement in the PV conversion efficiency is observed thanks to the 3D structuration compared to a dense reference, due to the improvement of charge separation at the Spiro-OMeTAD/perovskite interface and thus to the reduction of charge recombination. In addition, CH3NH3PbI3 porous films prepared with 810 nm, 1000 nm and 2100 nm PS bead diameter respectively, are coloured, which is very interesting for building-integrated applications (BIPV).