Anomalous Hysteresis in Perovskite Solar Cells

TLDR

Perovskite solar cells have rapidly risen in efficiency, yet anomalous hysteresis in their current‑voltage curves presents an unusual characteristic that must be understood. The study aims to identify this hysteresis phenomenon, illustrate factors that modulate its severity, and hypothesize three possible origins to guide future research. The authors analyze how various factors influence hysteresis magnitude and propose three mechanistic explanations, discussing their impact on device efficiency. They demonstrate that stabilized power output can be achieved under operating conditions and recommend reporting this metric alongside conventional power‑conversion efficiency.

Abstract

Perovskite solar cells have rapidly risen to the forefront of emerging photovoltaic technologies, exhibiting rapidly rising efficiencies. This is likely to continue to rise, but in the development of these solar cells there are unusual characteristics that have arisen, specifically an anomalous hysteresis in the current-voltage curves. We identify this phenomenon and show some examples of factors that make the hysteresis more or less extreme. We also demonstrate stabilized power output under working conditions and suggest that this is a useful parameter to present, alongside the current-voltage scan derived power conversion efficiency. We hypothesize three possible origins of the effect and discuss its implications on device efficiency and future research directions. Understanding and resolving the hysteresis is essential for further progress and is likely to lead to a further step improvement in performance.