Dynamic Structural Heterogeneity Enhances Low-Temperature Efficiency in Perovskite Solar Cells
The low-temperature performance of mixed-composition perovskite solar cells (PSCs) reflects the complex interplay among thermal effects, bandgap renormalization, and structural phase behavior. Temperature-dependent structural, optical, and electrical measurements reveal a maximum power conversion efficiency at 263 K, which coincides with the onset of the cubic-tetragonal phase coexistence. At this temperature, symmetry lowering is observed, accompanied by a split emission band and increased current–voltage hysteresis, consistent with structural heterogeneity. Device simulations show that any benefit from mixed-phase band alignment is conditional on effective interphase passivation. Consequently, the mixed phase is best described as a loss-minimum condition at well-passivated cubic–tetragonal interphases with stable collection. Our findings identify a narrow mixed-phase window in which phase coexistence couples to the optoelectronic response and enhances the device performance, providing fundamental insight into temperature-dependent structure–property relations in hybrid perovskites.
Authors
- R. Fan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8530-6970)
- Evelyn B. Díaz-Cruz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3219-129X)
- Julio Villanueva‐Cab (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6261-9197)
- Daniel W. Nye (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-0482-691X)
- E. Regalado-Pérez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8665-9468)
- P. Olalde-Velasco (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0882-0778)
- Gavin B. G. Stenning (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0710-8247)
- J. A. Reyes-Azcarate (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7491-8757)
Institutions
- Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (GB)
- Science and Technology Facilities Council (GB)
- Diamond Light Source (GB)
- Universidad de Cuautitlán Izcalli (MX)
- Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (MX)
Publication Details
- Journal
- ACS Applied Energy Materials
- Published
- 2025-12-04
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.5c02638
- Primary Topic
- Perovskite Materials and Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00