Systematic Study of Space-Grade Encapsulants and Barrier Layers for durability of MAPbI3

Here we present our ongoing and preliminary results into the durability of NH
₃
CH
₃
PbI
₃
(MAPI) films undergoing a high humidity test as outlined in the AIAA-S111 standard for qualification of space solar cells. The samples were encapsulated in a space qualified 2-part silicone (DC-93500) and coverglass lamination as a protectant and select cohorts were also coated with SiO
₂
barrier layers and a silane surface modifier. A first study using a 2-part epoxy encapsulant was used to model the diffusion behavior of moisture through an encapsulant to determine feasibility and indicated an approximate border removal area for robustness. The ongoing test utilizes transmission spectra as a proxy for material dissociation. Few samples show significant degradation up to 880 hours, typically the encapsulated samples as produced show the least, the samples with the silane surface modifier show the most. These data are being processed and quantitative statistics will be shown.