Recent Advances in the Structure, Properties, and Applications of Lead-Free Tin-Based Perovskites in Optoelectronic Devices

Shuo Wang; Huixin Xiu

doi:10.6911/WSRJ.202504_11(4).0015

Authors

Shuo Wang
Huixin Xiu

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6911/WSRJ.202504_11(4).0015

Keywords:

Lead-free tin-Based perovskites; Environmental stability; Solar cells; Photodetectors; Light-emitting diodes.

Abstract

In recent years, metal halide perovskites (MHPs) have emerged as a research hotspot in optoelectronic devices due to their exceptional optoelectronic properties. However, the environmental toxicity of commonly used lead halide perovskites (LHPs) has prompted researchers to explore alternative lead-free perovskite materials. Among these, tin halide perovskites (THPs), which exhibit structural and performance similarities to LHPs, have become the most significant focus in the study of lead-free perovskites. This review comprehensively summarizes the types, structural characteristics, defect mechanisms, and recent research progress of lead-free tin-based perovskites in optoelectronic devices. First, the typical tin-based perovskite material systems, including FASnX₃, MASnX₃, and CsSnX₃, are introduced. Subsequently, their optoelectronic properties, defect types, and environmental stability issues are discussed, with a particular emphasis on their applications and optimization strategies in perovskites solar cells (PSCs), photodetectors (PDs), and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). These strategies include defect passivation, stabilization through additives, interface engineering and energy level modulation of hole transport layers (HTLs) and electron transport layers (ETLs), as well as structural optimization and research on low-dimensional nanostructured perovskites. Finally, the current challenges faced by tin-based perovskites are analyzed, and their future development directions toward highly efficient and stable optoelectronic devices are prospected.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

[1] J (2021), "A stand out family", Nature Materials. vol. 20, no. 10, pp. 1303-1303.

[2] Antonio Abate J (2017), "Perovskite Solar Cells Go Lead Free", Joule. vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 659-664.

[3] Muhammad Awais, et al. J (2021), "Tin Halide Perovskites Going Forward: Frost Diagrams Offer Hints", ACS Materials Letters. vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 299-307.

[4] James M. Ball and Annamaria Petrozza J (2016), "Defects in perovskite-halides and their effects in solar cells", Nature Energy. vol. 1, no. 11, p. 16149.

[5] H. Cao, et al. J (2021), "The effect of defects in tin-based perovskites and their photovoltaic devices", Materials Today Physics. vol. 21, p. 100513.

[6] Y. Cao, et al. J (2018), "Perovskite light-emitting diodes based on spontaneously formed submicrometre-scale structures", (in eng), Nature. vol. 562, no. 7726, pp. 249-253.

[7] Chun-Hao Chen, et al. J (2023), "Toxicity, Leakage, and Recycling of Lead in Perovskite Photovoltaics", Advanced Energy Materials. vol. 13, no. 14, p. 2204144.

[8] Sheng Chen, et al. J (2019), "First-principles study on the electronic properties of perovskites MASnaPb(1 − a)XbY(3 − b) (X, Y = Cl, Br, I)", Results in Physics. vol. 14, p. 102408.

[9] In Chung, et al. J (2012), "CsSnI3: Semiconductor or Metal? High Electrical Conductivity and Strong Near-Infrared Photoluminescence from a Single Material. High Hole Mobility and Phase-Transitions", Journal of the American Chemical Society. vol. 134, no. 20, pp. 8579-8587.

[10] E. Lora da Silva, et al. J (2015), "Phase stability and transformations in the halide perovskite ${mathrm{CsSnI}}_{3}$", Physical Review B. vol. 91, no. 14, p. 144107.

[11] Linjie Dai, et al. J (2021), "Slow carrier relaxation in tin-based perovskite nanocrystals", Nature Photonics. vol. 15, no. 9, pp. 696-702.

[12] Margaret Dawson, et al. J (2022), "A Review of Three-Dimensional Tin Halide Perovskites as Solar Cell Materials", Materials Research.

[13] Azhar Fakharuddin, et al. J (2022), "Perovskite light-emitting diodes", Nature Electronics. vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 203-216.

[14] Weiyin Gao, et al. J (2019), "Interface Engineering in Tin Perovskite Solar Cells", Advanced Materials Interfaces. vol. 6, no. 24, p. 1901322.

[15] Weiyin Gao, et al. J (2024), "Seed-Crystal-Assisted Space-Confined Growth of FASnI3 Quasi-Single-Crystal Thick Films and Their Photodetection Characteristics", ACS Energy Letters. vol. 9, no. 10, pp. 5045-5055.

[16] Nadja Glück and Thomas Bein J (2020), "Prospects of lead-free perovskite-inspired materials for photovoltaic applications", Energy & Environmental Science. 10.1039/D0EE01651A vol. 13, no. 12, pp. 4691-4716.

[17] Anuj Goyal, et al. J (2018), "Origin of Pronounced Nonlinear Band Gap Behavior in Lead–Tin Hybrid Perovskite Alloys", Chemistry of Materials. vol. 30, no. 11, pp. 3920-3928.

[18] Xiang Guan, et al. J (2024), "Targeted elimination of tetravalent-Sn-induced defects for enhanced efficiency and stability in lead-free NIR-II perovskite LEDs", Nature Communications. vol. 15, no. 1, p. 9913.

[19] Xianyuan Jiang, et al. J (2021), "Tin Halide Perovskite Solar Cells: An Emerging Thin-Film Photovoltaic Technology", Accounts of Materials Research. vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 210-219.

[20] Efat Jokar, et al. J (2023), "Emerging Opportunities in Lead-Free and Lead–Tin Perovskites for Environmentally Viable Photodetector Applications", Chemistry of Materials. vol. 35, no. 9, pp. 3404-3426.

[21] Dianxing Ju, et al. J (2018), "Tunable Band Gap and Long Carrier Recombination Lifetime of Stable Mixed CH3NH3PbxSn1–xBr3 Single Crystals", Chemistry of Materials. vol. 30, no. 5, pp. 1556-1565.

[22] V. Kanchana, et al. J (2024), "Computational Advances for Energy Conversion: Unleashing the Potential of Thermoelectric Materials", Solid State Sciences.

[23] Jin Young Kim, et al. J (2020), "High-Efficiency Perovskite Solar Cells", Chemical Reviews. vol. 120, no. 15, pp. 7867-7918.

[24] Geneva Laurita, et al. J (2017), "Chemical tuning of dynamic cation off-centering in the cubic phases of hybrid tin and lead halide perovskites", CHEMICAL SCIENCE. 10.1039/C7SC01429E vol. 8, no. 8, pp. 5628-5635.

[25] Lei Lei, et al. J (2021), "Metal Halide Perovskites for Laser Applications", ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS. vol. 31, no. 16, p. 2010144.

[26] Bo Li, et al. J (2020), "Tin-Based Defects and Passivation Strategies in Tin-Related Perovskite Solar Cells", ACS Energy Letters. vol. 5, no. 12, pp. 3752-3772.

[27] Junming Li, et al. J (2020), "Enhanced Performance of Sn-Based Perovskite Solar Cells by Two-Dimensional Perovskite Doping", ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. vol. 8, no. 23, pp. 8624-8628.

[28] Li Li, et al. J (2025), "Optimizing the Hole-Transport Layer with Ammonium Thiocyanate for Enhanced Performance in Lead-Free Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes", ACS Applied Electronic Materials.

[29] Xiaomeng Li, et al. J (2024), "Efficient Tin-Based Perovskite Solar Cell with a Cesium Acetate Pre-buried PEDOT:PSS Hole Transport Layer", The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. vol. 15, no. 5, pp. 1355-1362.

[30] Joseph S. Manser, et al. J (2016), "Intriguing Optoelectronic Properties of Metal Halide Perovskites", Chemical Reviews. vol. 116, no. 21, pp. 12956-13008.

[31] Xin Mao, et al. J (2018), "First-Principles Screening of All-Inorganic Lead-Free ABX3 Perovskites", Journal of Physical Chemistry C. vol. 122, pp. 7670-7675.

[32] D. Meggiolaro, et al. J (2020), "Tin versus Lead Redox Chemistry Modulates Charge Trapping and Self-Doping in Tin/Lead Iodide Perovskites", (in eng), J Phys Chem Lett. vol. 11, no. 9, pp. 3546-3556.

[33] Rubaiya Murshed, et al. J (2023), "SnF2-Doped Cs2SnI6 Ordered Vacancy Double Perovskite for Photovoltaic Applications", Solar RRL. vol. 7, no. 19, p. 2300165.

[34] Sanjay Pachori, et al. J (2022), "Fundamental Physical Properties of Nontoxic Tin-Based Formamidinium FASnX3 (X = I, Br, Cl) Hybrid Halide Perovskites: Future Opportunities in Photovoltaic Applications", Energy Technology. vol. 10, no. 2, p. 2100709.

[35] Elizabeth S. Parrott, et al. J (2016), "Effect of Structural Phase Transition on Charge-Carrier Lifetimes and Defects in CH3NH3SnI3 Perovskite", The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. vol. 7, no. 7, pp. 1321-1326.

[36] Damiano Ricciarelli, et al. J (2020), "Instability of Tin Iodide Perovskites: Bulk p-Doping versus Surface Tin Oxidation", ACS Energy Letters. vol. 5, no. 9, pp. 2787-2795.

[37] David E. Scaife, et al. J (1974), "Crystal preparation and properties of cesium tin(II) trihalides", Journal of Solid State Chemistry. vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 308-314.

[38] Tejas S. Sherkar, et al. J (2017), "Recombination in Perovskite Solar Cells: Significance of Grain Boundaries, Interface Traps, and Defect Ions", ACS Energy Letters. vol. 2, no. 5, pp. 1214-1222.

[39] Constantinos C. Stoumpos, et al. J (2013), "Semiconducting Tin and Lead Iodide Perovskites with Organic Cations: Phase Transitions, High Mobilities, and Near-Infrared Photoluminescent Properties", Inorganic Chemistry. vol. 52, no. 15, pp. 9019-9038.

[40] Yukari Takahashi, et al. J (2011), "Charge-transport in tin-iodide perovskite CH3NH3SnI3: origin of high conductivity", Dalton Transactions. 10.1039/C0DT01601B vol. 40, no. 20, pp. 5563-5568.

[41] Shuxia Tao, et al. J (2019), "Absolute energy level positions in tin- and lead-based halide perovskites", Nature Communications. vol. 10, no. 1, p. 2560.

[42] Paolo Umari, et al. J (2014), "Relativistic GW calculations on CH3NH3PbI3 and CH3NH3SnI3 Perovskites for Solar Cell Applications", Scientific Reports. vol. 4, no. 1, p. 4467.

[43] Hiroki Uratani and Koichi Yamashita J (2017), "Charge Carrier Trapping at Surface Defects of Perovskite Solar Cell Absorbers: A First-Principles Study", The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 742-746.

[44] Haiyan Wang, et al. (2022). A Review of Perovskite-Based Photodetectors and Their Applications. In NANOMATERIALS.

[45] Mei Wang, et al. J (2020), "Systematic optimization of perovskite solar cells via green solvent systems", Chemical Engineering Journal. vol. 387, p. 123966.

[46] Ning Wang, et al. J (2016), "Heterojunction-Depleted Lead-Free Perovskite Solar Cells with Coarse-Grained B-γ-CsSnI3 Thin Films", Advanced Energy Materials. vol. 6, no. 24, p. 1601130.

[47] Bo Wu, et al. J (2017), "Long Minority-Carrier Diffusion Length and Low Surface-Recombination Velocity in Inorganic Lead-Free CsSnI3 Perovskite Crystal for Solar Cells", ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS. vol. 27, no. 7, p. 1604818.

[48] Lian Xiao, et al. J (2023), "On biosafety of Sn-containing halide perovskites", Energy & Environmental Science. 10.1039/D2EE02510H vol. 16, no. 5, pp. 2120-2132.

[49] Wei-Long Xu, et al. J (2024), "Tin-based perovskite films fabricated by chemical vapor deposition for photodetector application", Chemical Physics. vol. 580, p. 112213.

[50] Koji Yamada, et al. J (1991), "Structural phase transitions of the polymorphs of CsSnI3 by means of rietveld analysis of the X-ray diffraction", Chemistry Letters. vol. 20, pp. 801-804.

[51] Koji Yamada, et al. J (1998), "Phase Transition and Electric Conductivity of ASnCl3 (A = Cs and CH3NH3)", Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan. vol. 71, pp. 127-134.

[52] Meng Yan, et al. J (2024), "Small Molecular Dibenzo[b,d]thiophene-Based Hole Transport Materials for Tin–Lead Perovskite Solar Cell", The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. vol. 15, no. 44, pp. 11119-11125.

[53] Shuang Yang, et al. J (2023), "Superstable CsxSnBrx+2@CsBr Nanocrystals with Over 1200 h of Half-Value PLQY in Air", ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. vol. 15, no. 30, pp. 36716-36723.

[54] Wan-Jian Yin, et al. J (2014), "Unusual defect physics in CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite solar cell absorber", Applied Physics Letters. vol. 104, no. 6, p. 063903.

[55] Chunqian Zhang, et al. (2024). A Systematical Study on Bands and Defects of CsBX3 (B = Pb, Sn, Ge, X = Cl, Br, I) Perovskite Based on First Principles. In Molecules.

[56] Jingjing Zhang, et al. J (2024), "Preparation of Cs2SnI6 perovskite thin films based on solvent engineering and their properties of photodetectors", Sensors and Actuators A: Physical. vol. 378, p. 115798.

[57] Zheng Zhang, et al. J (2024), "Over 14% efficiency of highly reproducible Sn perovskite solar cell via defect passivation and morphology repairment", Chemical Engineering Journal. vol. 483, p. 149345.

[58] Zhihang Zhang, et al. J (2024), "Performance Enhancement of Tin-Based Perovskite Photodetectors through Bifunctional Cesium Fluoride Engineering", ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. vol. 16, no. 10, pp. 12773-12780.

[59] Zhihao Zhang, et al. J (2023), "Mechanistic Understanding of Oxidation of Tin-based Perovskite Solar Cells and Mitigation Strategies", Angewandte Chemie International Edition. vol. 62, no. 45, p. e202308093.

[60] Lin Zhu, et al. J (2021), "Unveiling the additive-assisted oriented growth of perovskite crystallite for high performance light-emitting diodes", Nature Communications. vol. 12, no. 1, p. 5081.