Near-neutral-colored semitransparent perovskite films using a combination of colloidal self-assembly and plasma etching

Organo-lead-halide perovskite based solar cells have achieved remarkable advancements in power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) in recent years. Given their attractive properties, possible applications for perovskites are wide ranging and among others, particularly appealing for building integrated photovoltaics (BIPVs). In this study, patterned perovskite films were successfully fabricated based on a microsphere lithography SiO2 honeycomb scaffold template, which was derived by a combination of air-water interface self-assembly and O2 plasma etching. These patterned perovskite films exhibited near-neutral-color and tunable semitransparency, which meet the requisites of semitransparent solar cells for BIPVs application. O2 plasma etching of the microsphere template could effectively improve the active layer average visible transmission (AVT), and the existence of the SiO2 nanoscaffold effectively smoothed the internal trade-off of active layer AVT and device PCE. Solar cell devices fabricated with these optimized patterened perovskite films yielded a maximum PCE of 10.3% with relatively high active layer AVT of 38%. This nanoscaffold patterned perovskite opens up a new strategy for design and fabrication of functional photoelectric device based on organo-lead-halide perovskite. •SiO2 honeycomb structure was fabricated by a colloidal crystal templating strategy.•The SiO2 honeycomb structure enhanced both the Voc and FF of the perovskite solar cells.•The intrinsic trade-off between PCE and AVT was smoothed by the SiO2 honeycomb structure.•Solar cells yielded a maximum PCE of 10.3% with relatively high photoactive layer AVT of 38%.