Lead Sequestration from Halide Perovskite Solar Cells with a Low-Cost Thiol-Containing Encapsulant

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are being studied and developed because of the outstanding properties of halide perovskites as photovoltaic materials and high conversion efficiencies achieved with the best PSCs. However, leaching out of lead (Pb) ions into the environment presents potential public health risks. We show that thiol-functionalized nanoparticles provide an economic way of minimizing Pb leaching in the case of PSC module damage and subsequent water exposure (at most, ∼2.5% of today’s crystal silicon solar panel production cost per square meter). Using commercial materials and methods, we retain ∼90% of Pb without degrading the photovoltaic performance of the cells, compared with nonencapsulated devices, yielding a worst-case scenario of top-soil pollution below natural Pb levels and well below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency limits.