Exploration of cerium doped down conversion microcrystals for enhanced photovoltaic performance and UV light stability of hybrid perovskite solar cells

Hybrid perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have garnered substantial interest from both academic and industrial spheres. However, some of the striking disadvantages regarding the adverse environment and UV-light stability restrict their durability for large-scale implementation. Herein, we reported, that a multifunction intermittent layer made of down-conversion (DC) cerium-doped microcrystal (CDM) is incorporated in PSCs. The DC layer shields the perovskite layer from UV-light through its absorption and also increases the spectral range of the active layer by re-emitting in the visible-range. The DC-layer is used to enhance the stability in UV-light and photovoltaic performance of the PSCs. PSCs with CDM-coating achieved an enhanced current density of 24.09 mAcm −2 and a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 20.13 %, which were improved by 7 % and 17.7 %, respectively when associated with control-devices. Notably, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of PSCs based on the CDM architecture sustains 88 % of its initial value following 70 h of exposure to UV-light irradiation. Moreover, the PCE remains at 90 % of its initial value even after 100 days in an ambient environment characterized by 20–25 % relative humidity. We believe that this research will pave new ways toward highly stable and durable PSCs for practical applications in the future.