Effect of anti-solvents on the performance of solar cells based on two-dimensional Ruddlesden–Popper-phase perovskite films

The anti-solvent method is one of the main methods used to prepare two-dimensional (2D) Ruddlesden–Popper (RP)-phase perovskite (PVK) films. To investigate the effect of anti-solvent type on the performance of solar cells based on RP-phase PVK films, three kinds of solvents, toluene (TL), ethyl acetate (EA) and chlorobenzene (CB), were used to prepare 2D RP-phase PVK of GA2MA4Pb5I16. The results display that solar cells based on a 2D PVK layer formed with CB present better performance than those with TL and EA. The results of several investigations show that PVK films formed with CB present lower trap density, longer lifetime, no pinholes and smoother surfaces compared with those formed with TL and EA. This demonstrates that CB is the optimal anti-solvent for the preparation of 2D RP PVK solar cells.