This project aims to resolve a critical issue facing perovskite solar cells: their instability under actual operating conditions where cells are subjected to diurnal (day-night) cycling. Over the diurnal cycle,changes in the electrochemical potential within the cell result in the movement of mobile ionic species. As these ions move through the perovskite material—and migrate into other layers that make up the solar cell—they can cause the cell to degrade by triggering decomposition of the perovskite material; corroding the contacts; and potentially causing delamination of the cell layers. 

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While it is clear that mobile ionic species cause degradation, the link between ion migration and perovskite cell stability has yet to be fully determined. Critically, the most commonly-used testing regimes do not reflect real-world operating conditions and hence do not accurately evaluate stability. This project aims to systematically and rigorously evaluate strategies to prevent cell degradation due to ionic movement and to understand and prevent the instability of perovskite solar cells under operating conditions where cells are subjected to diurnal cycling.