Enhanced long-term stability of ambient-fabricated perovskite photodetectors via microwave-assisted synthesis

Abstract

Hybrid organic-inorganic metal halide perovskites have garnered significant attention for their large potential in optoelectronic applications. However, its sensitivity to ambient environmental factors hinders its commercialization due to degradation over time, encouraging fabrication in controlled inert environments and increasing fabrication costs. This study successfully fabricated a fully ambient environment triple cation perovskite photodetector with enhanced long-term stability. Compared to the conventional solution method (CSM), the perovskite films prepared using microwave-assisted synthesis (MAS) remarkably improved the structural stability and optoelectronic performance in environmental conditions. Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy revealed that films synthesized via MAS remarkably retained 55.3 % of their initial PL intensity after 90 days, even without encapsulation, whereas CSM perovskite films immediately degraded to 9.2 % after 7 days. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed high crystalline and pure MAS perovskite material, showing minimal degradation of the perovskite material and suppressed PbI2 impurity formation over time. When fabricated as a photodetector in fully environmental conditions, MAS perovskites demonstrated a notable 6-fold improvement in responsivity (3.7 A/W) compared to those prepared by CSM (0.61 A/W). Moreover, these photodetectors maintain similar to 73 % of their responsivity after 38 days, while devices from the CSM perovskites deteriorate to just 5 % within 7 days, indicating environmental and long-term stability. These findings highlight the emerging opportunities for high-quality and stable perovskite films when MAS is utilized under ambient conditions without any controlled environment, indicating a promising pathway toward robust and scalable perovskite-based optoelectronic devices.