Ion Migration in Mesoscopic Perovskite Solar Cells: Effects on Electroluminescence, Open Circuit Voltage, and Photovoltaic Quantum Efficiency

M. A. Torre Cachafeiro, E. L. Comi, S. Parayil Shaji, S. Narbey, S. Jenatsch, E. Knapp, W. Tress, Adv. Energy Mater. 2025, 15, 2403850. https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202403850

This study explores the impact of ion migration in carbon-based triple mesoscopic perovskite solar cells (CPSCs), focusing on its effects on electroluminescence (EL), open-circuit voltage (VOC), and current collection. The authors show that slow EL transients arise from the redistribution of two ionic species with different mobilities, resulting in increased mobile ion densities over time. Both forward bias in the dark and open-circuit illumination lead to similar changes, increasing VOC but degrading current collection due to electric field screening.

To analyze these effects, the authors used Setfos for drift-diffusion simulations, which successfully reproduced experimental observations by incorporating both cation and anion migration. Paios was used for temperature-dependent EL and impedance spectroscopy measurements.

The findings provide critical insight into transient ionic effects in CPSCs—devices that offer advantages in stability and scalability. These results are particularly relevant for optimizing performance and interpreting EL-based characterization methods.