Simultaneous Optical and Electrical In-Situ Characterization of Ageing Perovskite Solar Cells

Despite their high efficiencies and a relatively straightforward synthesis process, perovskite-based solar cells face operational stability challenges, hindering commercial development. While degradation has garnered significant attention, existing literature underscores its complexity. Many studies rely on post-mortem analysis, comparing system performance before and after aging. In contrast, in operando characterization investigates degradation pathways. In this work, a coupled current voltage and photoluminescence characterization bench has been developed, located within a climate chamber. It enables periodic acquisitions during simulated aging. This study subjected several perovskite solar cells to the ISOS damp heat test (85°C, 65% RH) with various transport layer combinations. Monitoring the kinetics of photoluminescence spectra and current voltage curves evolution provides insights into the nature of the degradation of the solar cells. Furthermore, a modelling scheme based on drift diffusion simulations is employed to take the full advantage of the coupled measurements and identify compatible degradation mechanisms. This work demonstrates the advantage of combining photoluminescence and current-voltage characterizations, which allow for instance to distinguish cases where performance loss stems from perovskite absorber degradation versus issues with extracting layers.