Perovskite Solar Cells: The Materials and Equipment Your Lab Needs

Perovskite solar cells have been one of the busiest topics in energy research for the past decade. The appeal is clear: efficiencies that compete with silicon, from layers that can be made from solution at low temperature with equipment that fits in a single lab. For a group just starting out, the first question is usually practical: which materials and instruments do you need to make and test perovskite solar cells?

This article walks through the layer stack, the materials for each layer, the lab fabrication workflow, and the equipment needed from substrate to efficiency measurement.

What a perovskite is

"Perovskite" refers to a crystal structure with the general formula ABX₃. In solar cells, A is an organic or inorganic cation (methylammonium/MA, formamidinium/FA, caesium/Cs), B is lead (Pb) or tin (Sn), and X is a halide (iodide, bromide). Changing A and X tunes the bandgap and stability. Mixed compositions such as (Cs,FA,MA)Pb(I,Br)₃ are widely used because they are more stable against heat and phase changes than single-cation perovskites.

Layer stacks: n-i-p and p-i-n

A perovskite cell is a stack of thin layers on conductive glass:

• n-i-p (regular): FTO/ITO glass → electron transport layer (ETL) → perovskite → hole transport layer (HTL) → metal electrode.
• p-i-n (inverted): ITO glass → HTL → perovskite → ETL → metal electrode. This architecture is generally processed at lower temperatures.

Materials for each layer

• Transparent conductive substrate: FTO glass for stacks that need high-temperature annealing (for example mesoporous TiO₂), ITO glass for planar and inverted stacks. See our ITO vs FTO comparison.
• Electron transport layer: SnO₂ and TiO₂ in n-i-p; fullerenes such as C₆₀ and PCBM in p-i-n, often with a buffer layer such as bathocuproine (BCP).
• Perovskite layer: organic halide salts such as methylammonium iodide (MAI), formamidinium iodide (FAI), formamidinium bromide (FABr) and methylammonium bromide (MABr), mixed with PbI₂, PbBr₂ and CsI in DMF/DMSO. Precursor purity has a strong effect on performance and reproducibility.
• Hole transport layer: Spiro-OMeTAD with additives such as 4-tert-butylpyridine (tBP) and lithium salts in n-i-p; PTAA, PEDOT:PSS or self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) in p-i-n.
• Top electrode: gold or silver evaporated through a deposition mask.

If you want to focus on devices straight away, ready-to-use precursor inks are also available. For example, the Ossila Triple Cation Perovskite Precursor Ink I301 (DMSO-based, for processing in a nitrogen glove box) forms a (Cs_0.05FA_0.81MA_0.14)Pb(I_0.85Br_0.15)₃ film. In an ITO/SnO₂/perovskite/Spiro-OMeTAD/Au stack, Ossila reports a peak efficiency of 19.0% and an average of 16.4% ± 3.9%. One 5 ml pack coats up to 100 substrates.

Lab fabrication workflow

1. Substrate cleaning: sequential sonication (detergent, DI water, acetone, isopropanol), then UV ozone treatment to remove organic residue and improve wetting.
2. ETL or HTL deposition: spin coating followed by annealing on a hotplate.
3. Perovskite deposition: two-step spin coating with an anti-solvent drop a few seconds before the program ends, then annealing. For many compositions this is done in a nitrogen glove box.
4. Second transport layer: spin coating.
5. Top electrode: thermal evaporation through a mask that defines the pixel area.
6. Measurement: I-V curves under a 1 sun solar simulator, with an aperture mask to fix the illuminated area.

Equipment you need

• Spin coater with multi-step programs; a syringe pump helps make anti-solvent steps repeatable. See our spin coater guide.
• UV ozone cleaner for substrate cleaning.
• Hotplate for annealing and a glove box for inert-atmosphere processing.
• Thermal evaporator for metal electrodes, with deposition masks.
• Solar simulator and I-V test system to measure V_oc, J_sc, fill factor and efficiency. Our solar simulator guide explains how to choose one.
• Four point probe to check the sheet resistance of substrates and conductive layers.

What often decides the result

• Humidity. Moisture degrades perovskites and hurts reproducibility. Record humidity when working in air, or use a glove box.
• Hysteresis. Forward and reverse sweeps can differ. Report both, the scan rate and, where possible, stabilised output at the maximum power point.
• Active area. Without an aperture mask, light outside the pixel is collected and efficiency appears higher than it is.
• Solution age. Precursor solutions change over time. Prepare only what you need and store them as instructed.

Perovskite materials and equipment at AMI Scientific

Ossila precursors, ready-to-use inks and hole transport materials (MAI, MABr, FAI, FABr, DMAI, Spiro-OMeTAD, PTAA and more) are listed in our Perovskite Materials collection. For interface layers see PEDOT:PSS and self-assembled monolayers (SAMs); TCI organic electronic materials are in the Organic Electronic Materials collection.

Tell us your cell architecture and research stage via WhatsApp and our team will help you put together a list of materials and equipment with a formal quotation for your institution.