Soy protein enables stable perovskite solar cells by defect passivation and ion migration suppression

Fei Liu, Agnes Valencia, Xiangyang Zhang, Yuhua Zhu, Xiangkun Bo, Walid A. Daoud*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal Publications and ReviewsRGC 21 - Publication in refereed journalpeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Passivating agents have been explored for enhancing the stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, previous investigations have been limited to high purity agents, resulting in high costs and restricted material availability. In this study, we investigate abundant and naturally occurring soy protein, which offers abundant functional groups, making it an ideal candidate. Soy protein facilitates the passivation of perovskite via coordination with Pb2+ and hydrogen bonding with I, fostering high-quality perovskite films with reduced defect density and suppressed ion migration, further preventing phase transition and crystal structure collapse of the perovskite in high humidity and thermal stress environments. Consequently, enhanced photovoltaic response and significantly improved stability are exhibited, and thus this study provides a new passivation approach using natural materials toward efficient and stable PSCs. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2025.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)5191-5200
JournalJournal of Materials Chemistry A
Volume13
Issue number7
Online published7 Jan 2025
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2025

Funding

This work is supported by a strategic interdisciplinary grant from City University of Hong Kong (Grant no. 7020038). We thank Mr KIAN Kwok Cheong for technical assistance in the KPFM study.

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