Use of anti-solvent to enhance thermoelectric response of hybrid-halide perovskite thin films

Hybrid halide perovskite has been recently focused on thermoelectric energy harvesting due to the cost-effective fabrication approach and ultra-low thermal conductivity. To achieve high performance, tuning of electrical conductivity is a key parameter that is influenced by grain boundary scattering and charge carrier density. The fabrication process allows tuning these parameters. We report the use of anti-solvent to enhance the thermoelectric performance of lead-free hybrid halide perovskite, CH3NH3SnI3, thin films. Thin films with anti-solvent show higher connectivity in grains and higher Sn+4 oxidation states which results in enhancing the value of electrical conductivity. Thin films were prepared by a cost-effective wet process. Structural and chemical characterizations were performed using x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The value of electrical conductivity and the Seebeck coefficient were measured near room temperature. The high value of power factor (1.55 µW/m.K2 at 320 K) was achieved for thin films treated with anti-solvent.