The Promise of Operational Stability in Pnictogen-Based Perovskite-Inspired Solar Cells

Perovskite-inspired materials (PIMs) are gaining increasing attention among emerging photovoltaic absorbers due to their inherent air stability and low-toxicity potential. However, operational stability, the Achille’s heel of all emerging photovoltaics, has been largely overlooked in PIMs research so far, making it difficult to forecast their practical use in real-world applications. In this work, we analyse the operational stability of a promising new PIM composition, CsMAFA-Sb:Bi, generated through the antimony:bismuth co-alloying of a triple cation vacancy-ordered antimony-based PIM. Through an in-depth theoretical and experimental investigation, we demonstrate that the co-alloying induces local structural changes that lead to enhanced microstructure, reduced trap-assisted recombination, and increased solar cell power conversion efficiency (PCE), with the highest value being 3.05%. Accelerated aging tests according to ISOS L-1 and L-2 protocols highlight the crucial role of co-alloying in enhancing stability. Specifically, maximum power point tracking at 85 °C shows a projected T80 lifetime of 275 hours for CsMAFA-Sb:Bi devices, which has never been achieved not only for any other PIM-based device but also for high-efficiency technologies, such as lead halide perovskite solar cells with similar device constituents. This work encourages future studies on PIM-based photovoltaics for their potential operational stability, with the goal of reducing the performance gap with established technologies.