Copper Contact for Perovskite Solar Cells: Properties, Interfaces, and Scalable Integration
Copper (Cu) electrodes are increasingly considered practical, sustainable alternatives to noble‐metal contacts in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Their appeal derives from earth abundance, low resistivity, mechanical ductility, and compatibility with scalable fabrication. At the same time, Cu's redox activity, susceptibility to oxidation, and propensity for interfacial diffusion and halide reactions can undermine device stability and efficiency. This review critically surveys the integration of Cu electrodes across PSC architectures, emphasizing deposition and patterning methods, interfacial and barrier‐layer engineering, and encapsulation strategies. This study synthesizes mechanistic insights into degradation pathways—including Cu oxidation, formation of Cu halides/oxides, ion migration, and contact‐selectivity losses—and evaluates mitigation approaches such as diffusion‐blocking interlayers, alloying, and energy‐level tuning. Comparative analysis versus Au and Ag highlights techno‐economic and reliability trade‐offs relevant to scale‐up. This study concludes with an outlook on co‐designing materials, interfaces, and processes to enable durable, high‐efficiency, and manufacturable PSC employing Cu contacts.
Authors
- Yaming Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1347-788X)
- Peng Gao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3907-4328)
- Jianyong Han
- Xiaohu Zhao
- Shuwei Cao
Institutions
- Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CN)
- Huaqiao University (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Suzhou University of Technology (CN)
- Xiamen Institute of Rare-earth Materials (CN)
- Jiangxi University of Science and Technology (CN)
- Fuzhou University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research
- Published
- 2025-12-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/aesr.202500380
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Perovskite Materials and Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.73