Effects of Copper Substitution in Methylammonium-Based Perovskite Solar Cells

Abstract

The addition of copper bromide to the perovskite precursor solutions increased the conversion efficiencies of the devices. On the other hand, the short-circuit current densities decreased with an increase in the added amounts of copper (Cu). From first-principles calculations, the partial substitution of lead with Cu resulted in the formation of a Cu d orbital energy level in the forbidden band, which worked as a recombination center, causing the generated carriers to disappear. Experiments and calculations show the effects of Cu substitution on the electronic structures and the ability of the addition of Cu compounds to further improve the device performance.

Keywords

• copper
• first-principles calculations
• perovskite
• solar cell