Circular Electrodeposited Perovskite Solar Cells: Reuse Instead of Remake

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Abstract
Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) show great potential as a cost-effective, high-efficiency photovoltaic technology. Yet, their large-scale deployment is hindered by stability issues and the lack of sustainable end-of-life management. In this work, we introduce a simple yet highly effective recycling strategy that enables the recovery and reuse of both materials and substrates from degraded MAPbI3 electrodeposited devices, with a process fully performed under an ambient atmosphere. The process relies on selective delamination of the hole transport (HTL) and carbon electrode layers through controlled solvent immersion, preserving the integrity of the underlying ITO/c-TiO2/m-TiO2 stack. The degraded perovskite (PK), mainly composed of PbI2, is chemically regenerated into high-quality MAPbI3 and redeposited to form a fully functional recycled device that retains up to 75% of the initial photovoltaic performance. Beyond materials recovery, this study provides the first integrated technoeconomic and life-cycle assessment of a perovskite recycling route. Overall, the process preserves the ITO/c-TiO2/m-TiO2 stack, representing ∼75% of material cost at the lab scale and the majority of embodied impacts, thereby enabling high component retention during recycling. This combined experimental and analytical approach outlines a circular pathway for perovskite photovoltaics, bridging laboratory innovation with the broader goals of sustainable and resource-efficient solar technology development.
Funding Information
  • Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR-18-EURE-0016)

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