Fabrication and Characterization of a Lead-Free Cesium Bismuth Iodide Perovskite through Antisolvent-Assisted Crystallization

Abstract

Cesium bismuth iodide perovskite material offers good stability toward ambient conditions and has potential optoelectronic characteristics. However, wide bandgap, absorber surface roughness, and poor surface coverage with pinholes are among the key impediments to its adoption as a photovoltaic absorber material. Herein, bandgap modification and the tailoring of surface morphology have been performed through molar ratio variation and antisolvent treatment, whereby type III antisolvent (toluene) based on Hansen space has been utilized. XRD and Raman spectroscopy analyses confirm the formation of a 0D/2D mixed dimensional structure with improved optoelectronic properties when the molar ratio of CsI/BiI3 was adjusted from 1.5:1 to 1:1.5. The absorption results and Tauc plot determination show that the fabricated film has a lower bandgap of 1.80 eV. TRPL analysis reveals that the film possesses a very low charge carrier lifetime of 0.94 ns, suggesting deep defects. Toluene improves the charge carrier lifetime to 1.89 ns. The average grain size also increases from 323.26 nm to 444.3 nm upon toluene addition. Additionally, the inclusion of toluene results in a modest improvement in PCE, from 0.23% to 0.33%.