Closing the perovskite loop: aqueous recovery and reuse of MAPbI₃ for film, device, and nanocrystal reuse
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Published online version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The rapid commercialisation of organic–inorganic metal halide perovskites (MHPs) presents significant end-of-life challenges, particularly owing to the environmental and health risks their lead content poses. Despite efforts to improve perovskite device performance, comparatively little attention has been given to safe and sustainable recycling, with reported approaches being reliant on hazardous solvents, including DMF. Here, we report the development and use of a water-based solvent for the selective recovery of methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) from MHP devices. The solvent comprises of water with low concentrations of dissolved malic acid, β-alanine, and sodium iodide (NaI), in which the organic additives enable MAPbI3 dissolution and NaI supports direct MHP recovery. Owing to the temperature dependent solubility of MAPbI3 in our solvent, high-purity powders can be recovered through precipitation by solvent cooling. Films fabricated from recycled MAPbI3 exhibit microstructures and bandgaps comparable to those prepared from pristine MAPbI3, whilst recycled films show improved morphological uniformity and reduced non-radiative recombination. In photoconductor devices, recycled MAPbI3 films deliver a higher photocurrent density, 1.48 × 10−5 A cm−2, and lower dark current density, 1.25 × 10−7 A cm−2 compared to their pristine analogues. When incorporated into p–i–n photovoltaic devices, recycled MAPbI3 films retain >90% of the efficiency of pristine devices. Furthermore, demonstrating the versatility of the solvent system beyond thin-film reuse, MAPbI3 recovered from thin films is successfully repurposed for the preparation of perovskite nanocrystals. Overall, this work establishes a green and efficient route for the recovery, recycling, and reuse of metal halide perovskites (MHPs), supporting a more circular lifecycle for emerging perovskite optoelectronics.
Date Issued
2026-10-21
Date Acceptance
2026-10-21
Citation
Materials Horizons, 2026
ISSN
2051-6347
Publisher
Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Journal / Book Title
Materials Horizons
Copyright Statement
© 2026 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.
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Publication Status
Published online
Date Publish Online
2026-10-21