Publications by authors named "Tim Kodalle"

Several studies have demonstrated that low-dimensional structures (., two-dimensional (2D)) associated with three-dimensional (3D) perovskite films enhance the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells. Here, we aim to track the formation sites of the 2D phase on top of the 3D perovskite and to establish correlations between molecular stiffness and steric hindrance of the organic cations and their influence on the formation and crystallization of 2D/3D.

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We present a design strategy for fabricating ultrastable phase-pure films of formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI) by lattice templating using specific two-dimensional (2D) perovskites with FA as the cage cation. When a pure FAPbI precursor solution is brought in contact with the 2D perovskite, the black phase forms preferentially at 100°C, much lower than the standard FAPbI annealing temperature of 150°C. X-ray diffraction and optical spectroscopy suggest that the resulting FAPbI film compresses slightly to acquire the (011) interplanar distances of the 2D perovskite seed.

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This work introduces a simplified deposition procedure for multidimensional (2D/3D) perovskite thin films, integrating a phenethylammonium chloride (PEACl)-treatment into the antisolvent step when forming the 3D perovskite. This simultaneous deposition and passivation strategy reduces the number of synthesis steps while simultaneously stabilizing the halide perovskite film and improving the photovoltaic performance of resulting solar cell devices to 20.8%.

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Metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are infamous for their batch-to-batch and lab-to-lab irreproducibility in terms of stability and performance. Reproducible fabrication of PSCs is a critical requirement for market viability and practical commercialization. PSC irreproducibility plagues all levels of the community; from institutional research laboratories, start-up companies, to large established corporations.

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Metal halide perovskites (MHPs) are semiconductors with promising application in optoelectronic devices, particularly, in solar cell technologies. The chemical and electronic properties of MHPs at the surface and interfaces with adjacent layers dictate charge transfer within stacked devices and ultimately the efficiency of the latter. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is a powerful tool to characterize these material properties.

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The black phase of formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI) perovskite shows huge promise as an efficient photovoltaic, but it is not favoured energetically at room temperature, meaning that the undesirable yellow phases are always present alongside it during crystallization. This problem has made it difficult to formulate the fast crystallization process of perovskite and develop guidelines governing the formation of black-phase FAPbI (refs. ).

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The most efficient and stable perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are made from a complex mixture of precursors. Typically, to then form a thin film, an extreme oversaturation of the perovskite precursor is initiated to trigger nucleation sites, e.g.

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Non-fullerene acceptors based organic solar cells represent the frontier of the field, owing to both the materials and morphology manipulation innovations. Non-radiative recombination loss suppression and performance boosting are in the center of organic solar cell research. Here, we developed a non-monotonic intermediate state manipulation strategy for state-of-the-art organic solar cells by employing 1,3,5-trichlorobenzene as crystallization regulator, which optimizes the film crystallization process, regulates the self-organization of bulk-heterojunction in a non-monotonic manner, i.

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Article Synopsis
  • Alkali treatments, particularly with RbF, improve the efficiency of Cu(In,Ga)Se solar cells by passivating electronic defects and preventing surface oxidation.
  • Using scanning tunneling and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, researchers found that Rb attaches to the surface and its submonolayer coverage plays a critical role in surface passivation.
  • However, the study also revealed that while Rb accumulation can enhance surface properties, it may lead to increased electronic defect levels and surface dipole formation, indicating potential drawbacks for long-term performance.
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All-inorganic perovskites have emerged as promising photovoltaic materials due to their superior thermal stability compared to their heat-sensitive hybrid organic-inorganic counterparts. In particular, CsPbI Br shows the highest potential for developing thermally-stable perovskite solar cells (PSCs) among all-inorganic compositions. However, controlling the crystallinity and morphology of all-inorganic compositions is a significant challenge.

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Ambient-pressure Kelvin probe and photoelectron yield spectroscopy methods were employed to investigate the impact of the KF and RbF postdeposition treatments (KF-PDT, RbF-PDT) on the electronic features of Cu(In,Ga)Se (CIGSe) thin films and the CdS/CIGSe interface in a CdS thickness series that has been sequentially prepared during the chemical bath deposition (CBD) process depending on the deposition time. We observe distinct features correlated to the CBD-CdS growth stages. In particular, we find that after an initial CBD etching stage, the valence band maximum (VBM) of the CIGSe surface is significantly shifted (by 180-620 mV) toward the Fermi level.

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