Nonstoichiometric acid–base reaction as reliable synthetic route to highly stable CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite film

Perovskite solar cells have received worldwide interests due to swiftly improved efficiency but the poor stability of the perovskite component hampers the device fabrication under normal condition. Herein, we develop a reliable nonstoichiometric acid-base reaction route to stable perovskite films by intermediate chemistry and technology. Perovskite thin-film prepared by nonstoichiometric acid-base reaction route is stable for two months with negligible PbI2-impurity under ∼65% humidity, whereas other perovskites prepared by traditional methods degrade distinctly after 2 weeks. Route optimization involves the reaction of PbI2 with excess HI to generate HPbI3, which subsequently undergoes reaction with excess CH3NH2 to deliver CH3NH3PbI3 thin films. High quality of intermediate HPbI3 and CH3NH2 abundance are two important factors to stable CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite. Excess volatile acid/base not only affords full conversion in nonstoichiometric acid-base reaction route but also permits its facile removal for stoichiometric purification, resulting in average efficiency of 16.1% in forward/reverse scans.