TY - JOUR
T1 - Enhanced Efficiency and Mechanical Stability in Flexible Perovskite Solar Cells via Phenethylammonium Iodide Surface Passivation
AU - Almalki, Ibtisam S.
AU - Alenazi, Tamader H.
AU - Mansouri, Lina A.
AU - Al Mubarak, Zainab H.
AU - Al Nahab, Zainab T.
AU - Alenzi, Sultan M.
AU - Alzahrani, Yahya A.
AU - Yafi, Ghazal S.
AU - Almutairi, Abdulmajeed
AU - Aldukhail, Abdurhman
AU - Alharthi, Bader
AU - Aljuwayr, Abdulaziz
AU - Alghannam, Faisal S.
AU - Almuqhim, Anas A.
AU - Alkhaldi, Huda
AU - Alhajri, Fawziah
AU - AL-Saleem, Nouf K.
AU - Alkahtani, Masfer
AU - Alanazi, Anwar Q.
AU - Almalki, Masaud
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 by the authors.
PY - 2025/7
Y1 - 2025/7
N2 - Flexible perovskite solar cells (FPSCs) hold great promise for lightweight and wearable photovoltaics, but improving their efficiency and durability under mechanical stress remains a key challenge. In this work, we fabricate and characterize flexible planar FPSCs on a polyethylene terephthalate (PET). A phenethylammonium iodide (PEAI) surface passivation layer is introduced on the perovskite to form a two-dimensional capping layer, and its impact on device performance and stability is systematically studied. The champion PEAI-passivated flexible device achieves a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of ~16–17%, compared to ~14% for the control device without PEAI. The improvement is primarily due to an increased open-circuit voltage and fill factor, reflecting effective surface defect passivation and improved charge carrier dynamics. Importantly, mechanical bending tests demonstrate robust flexibility: the PEAI-passivated cells retain ~85–90% of their initial efficiency after 700 bending cycles (radius ~5 mm), significantly higher than the ~70% retention of unpassivated cells. This work showcases that integrating a PEAI surface treatment with optimized electron (SnO2) and hole (spiro-OMeTAD) transport layers (ETL and HTL) can simultaneously enhance the efficiency and mechanical durability of FPSCs. These findings pave the way for more reliable and high-performance flexible solar cells for wearable and portable energy applications.
AB - Flexible perovskite solar cells (FPSCs) hold great promise for lightweight and wearable photovoltaics, but improving their efficiency and durability under mechanical stress remains a key challenge. In this work, we fabricate and characterize flexible planar FPSCs on a polyethylene terephthalate (PET). A phenethylammonium iodide (PEAI) surface passivation layer is introduced on the perovskite to form a two-dimensional capping layer, and its impact on device performance and stability is systematically studied. The champion PEAI-passivated flexible device achieves a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of ~16–17%, compared to ~14% for the control device without PEAI. The improvement is primarily due to an increased open-circuit voltage and fill factor, reflecting effective surface defect passivation and improved charge carrier dynamics. Importantly, mechanical bending tests demonstrate robust flexibility: the PEAI-passivated cells retain ~85–90% of their initial efficiency after 700 bending cycles (radius ~5 mm), significantly higher than the ~70% retention of unpassivated cells. This work showcases that integrating a PEAI surface treatment with optimized electron (SnO2) and hole (spiro-OMeTAD) transport layers (ETL and HTL) can simultaneously enhance the efficiency and mechanical durability of FPSCs. These findings pave the way for more reliable and high-performance flexible solar cells for wearable and portable energy applications.
KW - flexible perovskite solar cells (FPSCs)
KW - mechanical durability
KW - phenethylammonium iodide (PEAI)
KW - polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
KW - power conversion efficiency (PCE)
KW - surface passivation
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105011603088
U2 - 10.3390/nano15141078
DO - 10.3390/nano15141078
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105011603088
SN - 2079-4991
VL - 15
JO - Nanomaterials
JF - Nanomaterials
IS - 14
M1 - 1078
ER -
