Photoinduced Phase Segregation Leading to Evident Open-Circuit Voltage Loss in Efficient Inorganic CsPbIBr₂ Solar Cells

The photoinduced phase segregation (PIPS) of mixed-halide perovskites (MHPs), due to halogen migration, has reaped considerable attention for its retroaction on film photostability and photovoltaic output. Nevertheless, the original mechanism is still unclear. Herein, taking the representative CsPbIBr₂ material as an example, a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) technique was adopted to track the PIPS and dark recovery procedures. Besides the aggregation of iodide-rich (I-rich) domains at grain boundaries (GBs), some sporadic iodide “islands” with a swifter light response also appear throughout the polycrystalline films. It illustrates again that GBs are not essential for iodide aggregation. Furthermore, the iodide “islands” have substantial influence on a device’s open-circuit voltage (V_oc), resulting in an obvious plunge in the first tens of seconds. Results reveal the internal reason for the failure to reach the larger V_oc outputs expected from wide-bandgap perovskites. Importantly, this finding can help promote the exploration of an efficient means to stabilize MHPs.