![]() ![]() We design a dual dose experiment where PSCs are first irradiated with low-energy protons (0.06 MeV) that result in degraded power-conversion-efficiency (PCE) due to NIEL-induced atomic displacements. In this work, we provide conclusive evidence of IEL-induced efficiency recovery in PSCs. Here, we directly demonstrate variance in performance from exposure to various proton energies. The resulting passivation of defects associated with heating from high-energy protons could mask the true extent of radiation damage. Low-energy protons are critical for initial radiation testing of PSCs since they minimize IEL and the resulting heating and are the most prominent in space radiation environments 10. Developing this understanding for hybrid organic-inorganic semiconductors is critical to accurate determination of PSCs’ radiation tolerance. Radiation tolerance of conventional space PV is determined solely by atomic displacements due to NIEL 11, while IEL is not known to play any significant role. The implications of IEL on PSC performance are not well understood, however, IEL has recently been suggested to cause local healing of the perovskite lattice damaged by NIEL as a result of low formation energies of perovskites coupled with stronger electron-phonon interactions compared to conventional semiconductors 5, 13, 14, 15. The ratio of IEL to NIEL (IEL/NIEL) increases with proton energy making higher energy protons (1 MeV and higher) less likely to create atomic displacements (Supplementary Fig. Though alpha particles have higher NIELs, they have very low fluences in space orbits and are therefore not representative of the space environment. Protons are particularly important for radiation testing due to their high NIELs compared to electrons (Supplementary Fig. Upon irradiation of a PSC, energy of an incident proton is lost through two mechanisms, elastic non-ionizing energy loss (NIEL) resulting in atomic displacements, and inelastic ionizing energy loss (IEL) which causes heating due to scattering with the surrounding electron cloud 5, 10, 11. However, radiation in space is composed of a wide spectrum of particles, which lose energy when transmitting through matter. Protons generated by low-energy accelerators provide an effective source for assessing radiation hardness of PSCs given their efficiency in creating atomic displacements, and their ability to mimic the radiation spectrum in Earth orbits 10. ![]() Initial reports suggest unique radiation tolerance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), superior to the conventional PV technologies based on Silicon and III-V semiconductors currently used in space 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Solar cells based on halide perovskite semiconductors appear to meet most of these criteria and are now beginning to be explored for future space applications including space-based solar power and as solar panels to power satellites in Earth orbits 2. Similar content being viewed by othersįuture generation low-cost and lightweight photovoltaic (PV) technologies for powering space vehicles and satellites should be tolerant to the space environment including radiation, atomic oxygen, thermal cycling, and vacuum 1. These results present electronic ionization as a unique handle to remedying defects and trap states in perovskites. Dual dose experiments provide insight into understanding the radiation response of perovskite solar cells and highlight that radiation-matter interactions in soft lattice materials are distinct from conventional semiconductors. We relate these differences to the energy loss (ionization or non-ionization) using simulation. Correlated with modeling, high-energy protons (with increased ionizing energy loss component) effectively anneal the initial radiation damage, and recover the device efficiency, thus directly detailing the different interactions of irradiation. Devices are then irradiated with high-energy protons that interact differently. We design a dual dose experiment first exposing devices to low-energy protons efficient in creating atomic displacements. Here, we deconvolve the effects of radiation based on different energy loss mechanisms from incident protons which induce defects or can promote efficiency recovery. Perovskite photovoltaics have been shown to recover, or heal, after radiation damage. ![]()
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