Shellac protects perovskite solar cell modules under real-world conditions

Summary

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) operating under real-world conditions face various external stimuli, including moisture, UV irradiation, and hailstorms. Therefore, the encapsulants need to be multifunctional to enhance the stability of PSCs with a simple and cost-effective encapsulation process. Here, we present a simple and economical encapsulation strategy with shellac to protect PSCs under various accelerated degradation experiments. The shellac-encapsulated (SE) PSC modules pass outdoor stability, UV preconditioning, and hail tests according to the International Electrotechnical Commission 61215 standard (IEC61215). More importantly, the SE PSC modules demonstrate excellent lead sequestration ability after mechanical shock damage, which is vital in mitigating the perceived toxicity concerns of PSCs during widespread applications.