In situ recycle of PbI2 as a step towards sustainable perovskite solar cells.

The development of organometal halide perovskite solar cells has grown rapidly and the highest efficiency of the devices has recently surpassed 22%. Because these solar cells contain toxic lead, a sustainable strategy is required to prevent environmental pollution and avoid healthy hazard caused by possible lead outflow. Here, in situ recycling PbI₂ from thermal decomposition CH₃NH₃PbI₃ perovskite films for efficient perovskite solar cells was developed. The thermal behavior of CH₃NH₃PbI₃ perovskite and its individual components were examined by thermogravimetric analysis. By optimizing the process of thermal decomposition CH₃NH₃PbI₃ film, the complete conversion from CH₃NH₃PbI₃ to pure PbI₂ layer with a mesoporous scaffold was achieved. The mesoporous structure readily promotes the conversion efficiency of perovskite and consequently results in high-performance device. A perovskite crystal growth mechanism on the mesoporous PbI₂ structure was proposed. These results suggest that in situ recycled PbI₂ scaffolds can be a new route in manipulating the morphology of the perovskite active layer, providing new possibilities for high performance. Meanwhile, the risk of lead outflow can be released, and the saving-energy fabrication of efficient solar cells can be realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]