Stabilizing Bottom Side of Perovskite via Preburying Cesium Formate toward Efficient and Stable Solar Cells

The fragile bottom side of perovskite films is demonstrated to be harmful to the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) because the carrier extraction and recombination can be significantly influenced by the easily formed strain, voids, and defects on the bottom side. Nevertheless, the bottom side of perovskite films is usually overlooked because it remains a challenge to directly characterize and modify the bottom side. Herein, a facile and effective strategy is reported to stabilize the bottom side via preburying cesium formate (CsFo) into the SnO₂ electron transport layer (ETL). It is found that the synergistic effect of cesium cation (Cs⁺) and formate anion (HCOO⁻) causes strain relaxation, void elimination, and defects’ reduction, which further facilitate the charge extraction. Consequently, the champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of formamidinium (FA)-based PSCs is increased from 23.34% to 24.50%. Meanwhile, the ultraviolet (UV), thermal, and operational stability are also enhanced. Finally, formamidinium–cesium (FACs)-based PSCs are investigated to confirm the effectiveness of this preburied CsFo strategy, and the optimal device exhibits a champion PCE of 25.03% and a remarkably high fill factor (FF) of 85.65%.     

Multifunctional Organic Potassium Salt Additives as the Efficient Defect Passivator for High-Efficiency and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells

Despite the rapid developments are achieved for perovskite solar cells (PSCs), the existence of various defects in the devices still limits the further enhancement of the power conversion efficiency (PCE) and the long-term stability of devices. Herein, the efficient organic potassium salt (OPS) of para-halogenated phenyl trifluoroborates is presented as the precursor additives to improve the performance of PSCs. Studies have shown that the 4-chlorophenyltrifluoroborate potassium salt (4-ClPTFBK) exhibits the most effective interaction with the perovskite lattice. Strong coordination between  BF₃⁻/halogen in anion and uncoordinated Pb²⁺/halide vacancies, along with the hydrogen bond between F in  BF₃⁻ and H in FA⁺ are observed. Thus, due to the synergistic contribution of the potassium and anionic groups, the high-quality perovskite film with large grain size and low defect density is achieved. As a result, the optimal devices show an enhanced efficiency of 24.50%, much higher than that of the control device (22.63%). Furthermore, the unencapsulated devices present remarkable thermal and long-term stability, maintaining 86% of the initial PCE after thermal test at 80 °C for 1000 h and 95% after storage in the air for 2460 h.     

Supramolecular Aza Crown Ether Modulator for Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells

Molecular modulators have been demonstrated to be an effectual strategy for reducing the defect at the interface and in bulk of perovskite and ameliorating the performance and stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, 1-aza-15-crown 5-ether (A15C5), with a unique nitrogen heterocyclic structure as a molecular modulator is introduced at the interface between perovskite layer and hole transport layer of PSCs. Multiple supramolecular synergistic interaction between A15C5 and perovskite dramatically suppress and passivate defects, resulting in a 38% decrease in electron trap-state density in perovskite. The formation of two-dimensional/th3D perovskite heterojunctions induced by planar A15C5 releases residual strain of perovskite film, optimizes the match of energy level array and boosts the stability of devices. Consequently, A15C5-modulated PSC achieves an impressing efficiency of 24.13% along with excellent humidity, light and thermal stability. This work provides a typical strategy to utilize supramolecular crown ether in PSCs.     

Molecular Configuration Engineering in Hole-Transporting Materials toward Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells

The development of hole-transporting materials (HTMs) that can passivate defects in perovskite is of great significance in improving the efficiency and long-term stability of perovskite solar cells. To date, the investigation on HTMs mainly focus on exploring new structures, while molecular configuration is seldomly concerned. In this work, two small molecules are developed as HTMs with benzil and phenanthrene quinone as the core structure, respectively. With similar structure and the same defect passivation groups, whereas, the two molecules exhibit different configurations, thus distinct properties. Compared to 3,6-bis(3,6-bis(bis(4-methoxyphenyl)amino)-9H-carbazol-9-yl)phenanthrene-9,10-dione (PQ) with a rigid core structure, the benzil group in 1,2-bis(4-(3,6-bis(bis(4-methoxyphenyl)amino)-9H-carbazol-9-yl)phenyl)ethane-1,2-dione (DB) is flexible and can adjust molecular configuration to efficiently interact with the underlying perovskite material, which is confirmed from both experimental results and theoretical simulations. The DB-based device exhibits a high power conversion efficiency of 22.21% with excellent long-term stability, superior to the PQ-based device (20.22%). This study demonstrates that molecular configuration engineering will directly affect the properties of hole transport materials, as well as their interactions with perovskite, which should also be taken into consideration when devising HTMs.     

Multifunctional Enhancement for Highly Stable and Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells

With a certified efficiency as high as 25.2%, perovskite has taken the crown as the highest efficiency thin film solar cell material. Unfortunately, serious instability issues must be resolved before perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are commercialized. Aided by theoretical calculation, an appropriate multifunctional molecule, 2,2-difluoropropanediamide (DFPDA), is selected to ameliorate all the instability issues. Specifically, the carbonyl groups in DFPDA form chemical bonds with Pb²⁺ and passivate under-coordinated Pb²⁺ defects. Consequently, the perovskite crystallization rate is reduced and high-quality films are produced with fewer defects. The amino groups not only bind with iodide to suppress ion migration but also increase the electron density on the carbonyl groups to further enhance their passivation effect. Furthermore, the fluorine groups in DFPDA form both an effective barrier on the perovskite to improve its moisture stability and a bridge between the perovskite and HTL for effective charge transport. In addition, they show an effective doping effect in the HTL to improve its carrier mobility. With the help of the combined effects of these groups in DFPDA, the PSCs with DFPDA additive achieve a champion efficiency of 22.21% and a substantially improved stability against moisture, heat, and light.     

Interfacial Energy Level Alignment and Defect Passivation by Using a Multifunctional Molecular for Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells

Tin oxide (SnO₂) is currently the dominating electron transport material (ETL) used in state-of-the-art perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, there are amounts of defects distributed at the interface between ETL and perovskite to deteriorate PSC performance. Herein, a molecule bridging layer is built by incorporating 2,5-dichloroterephthalic acid (DCTPA) into the interface between the SnO₂ and perovskites to achieve better energy level alignment and superior interfacial contact. The multifunctional molecular bridging layer not only can passivate the trap states of Sn dangling bonds and oxygen vacancies resulting in improved conductivity and the electron extraction of SnO₂ but also can regulate the perovskite crystal growth and reduce defect-assisted nonradiative recombination due to its strong interaction with undercoordinated lead ions. As a result, the DCTPA-modified PSCs achieve champion power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 23.25% and 20.23% for an active area of 0.15 cm² device and 17.52 cm² mini-module, respectively. Moreover, the perovskite films and PSCs based on DCTPA modification show excellent long-term stability. The unencapsulated target device can maintain over 90% of the initial PCE after 1000 h under ambient air. This strategy guides design methods of molecule bridging layer at the interface between SnO₂ and perovskite to improve the performance of PSCs .     

Molecularly Tailored Surface Defect Modifier for Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells

Surface defects cause non-radiative charge recombination and reduce the photovoltaic performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), thus effective passivation of defects has become a crucial method for achieving efficient and stable devices. Organic ammonium halides have been widely used for perovskite surface passivation, due to their simple preparation, lattice matching with perovskite, and high defects passivation ability. Herein, a surface passivator 2,4,6-trimethylbenzenaminium iodide (TMBAI) is employed as the interfacial layer between the spiro-OMeTAD and perovskite layer to modify the surface defect states. It is found that TMBAI treatment suppresses the nonradiative charge carrier recombination, resulting in a 60 mV increase of the open-circuit voltage (V_oc) (from 1.11 to 1.17 V) and raises the fill factor from 76.3% to 80.3%. As a result, the TMBAI-based PSCs device demonstrates a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 23.7%. Remarkably, PSCs with an aperture area of 1 square centimeter produce a PCE of 21.7% under standard AM1.5 G sunlight. The unencapsulated TMBAI-modified device retains 92.6% and 90.1% of the initial values after 1000 and 550 h under ambient conditions (humidity 55%–65%) and one-sun continuous illumination, respectively.     

Phenylhydrazinium Iodide for Surface Passivation and Defects Suppression in Perovskite Solar Cells

In recent years, hybrid perovskite solar cells (HPSCs) have received considerable research attention due to their impressive photovoltaic performance and low‐temperature solution processing capability. However, there remain challenges related to defect passivation and enhancing the charge carrier dynamics of the perovskites, to further increase the power conversion efficiency of HPSCs. In this work, the use of a novel material, phenylhydrazinium iodide (PHAI), as an additive in MAPbI₃ perovskite for defect minimization and enhancement of the charge carrier dynamics of inverted HPSCs is reported. Incorporation of the PHAI in perovskite precursor solution facilitates controlled crystallization, higher carrier lifetime, as well as less recombination. In addition, PHAI additive treated HPSCs exhibit lower density of filled trap states (10¹⁰ cm^?2) in perovskite grain boundaries, higher charge carrier mobility (≈11 × 10^?4 cm² V^?1 s), and enhanced power conversion efficiency (≈18%) that corresponds to a ≈20% improvement in comparison to the pristine devices.     

Dual Effects of Slow Recrystallization and Defects Passivation Achieve Efficient Tin-Based Perovskite Solar Cells with Good Stability Up to One Year

Tin-based perovskite solar cells (TPSCs) have become a star candidate in lead-free perovskite cells due to their excellent optoelectronic properties and low toxicity. However, there are a lot of problems such as uncontrollable crystallizationprocess, easy oxidation of Sn²⁺ and high defect density have not been completely resolved in TPSCs. Here, the thiourea (TU) and amidine thiourea (ASU) are added into the perovskite precursor to regulate the microstructure, inhibit the oxidation of Sn²⁺ and promote charge transfer. The characterization results demonstrate that the TU additive can not only improve the micrograph, crystallinity and antioxidant, but also significantly induce recrystallization and passivate trap states. Thus, the TPSCs with TU (TU-modified TPSCs) show a significantly higher power conversion efficienc (PCE) and better stability than those of the TPSCs with ASU (ASU-modified PSCs) and reference TPSCs. After stored in N₂ atmosphere for 8 months, the unencapsulated TU-modified PSCs achieve a champion PCE of 10.9% with an open-circuit voltage of 0.79 V. Furthermore, the unsealed TU-modified PSCs can maintain 115% of its initial efficiency after stored in N₂ atmosphere for one year. This is the longest lifetime of unencapsulated pure TPSCs in N₂ atmosphere.     

Surface Reconstruction Engineering with Synergistic Effect of Mixed-Salt Passivation Treatment toward Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells

Surface passivation treatment is a widely used strategy to resolve trap-mediated nonradiative recombination toward high-efficiency metal-halide perovskite photovoltaics. However, a lack of passivation with mixture treatment has been investigated, as well as an in-depth understanding of its passivation mechanism. Here, a systematic study on a mixed-salt passivation strategy of formamidinium bromide (FABr) coupled with different F-substituted alkyl lengths of ammonium iodide is demonstrated. It is obtained better device performance with decreasing chain length of the F-substituted alkyl ammonium iodide in the presence of FABr. Moreover, they unraveled a synergistic passivation mechanism of the mixed-salt treatment through surface reconstruction engineering, where FABr dominates the reformation of the perovskite surface via reacting with the excess PbI₂. Meanwhile, ammonium iodide passivates the perovskite grain boundaries both on the surface and top perovskite bulk through penetration. This synergistic passivation engineer results in a high-quality perovskite surface with fewer defects and suppressed ion migration, leading to a champion efficiency of 23.5% with mixed-salt treatment. In addition, the introduction of the moisture resisted F-substituted groups presents a more hydrophobic perovskite surface, thus enabling the decorated devices with excellent long-term stability under a high humid atmosphere as well as operational conditions.     

Self‐Crystallized Multifunctional 2D Perovskite for Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells

Recently, perovskite solar cells (PSC) with high power‐conversion efficiency (PCE) and long‐term stability have been achieved by employing 2D perovskite layers on 3D perovskite light absorbers. However, in‐depth studies on the material and the interface between the two perovskite layers are still required to understand the role of the 2D perovskite in PSCs. Self‐crystallization of 2D perovskite is successfully induced by deposition of benzyl ammonium iodide (BnAI) on top of a 3D perovskite light absorber. The self‐crystallized 2D perovskite can perform a multifunctional role in facilitating hole transfer, owing to its random crystalline orientation and passivating traps in the 3D perovskite. The use of the multifunctional 2D perovskite (M2P) leads to improvement in PCE and long‐term stability of PSCs both with and without organic hole transporting material (HTM), 2,2′,7,7′‐tetrakis‐(N,N‐di‐p‐methoxyphenyl‐amine)‐9,9′‐spirobifluorene (spiro‐OMeTAD) compared to the devices without the M2P.     

Synergistic Crystallization Modulation and Defects passivation via Additive Engineering Stabilize Perovskite Films for Efficient Solar Cells

Organic-inorganic lead halide perovskite are promising photovoltaic materials, but their intrinsic defects and crystalline quality severely deteriorate the solar cells efficiency and stability. Herein, potassium 1,1,2,2,3,3-hexafluoroprop-ane-1,3-disulfonimide (KHFDF) is introduced into PbI₂ precursor solution to passivate various defects and improve the crystalline quality of perovskite films. It is found that KHFDF can inhibit PbI₂ crystallization, thus tuning the crystal orientation and growth of perovskite films. Furthermore, KHFDF with dual-functional sulfonyl group cannot only passivate grain boundaries (GBs), but also passivate the defects at GBs via strong interaction with undercoordinated Pb²⁺ and/or hydrogen bonding with FA⁺, while the K⁺ counter cations allow ionic interaction with undercoordinated I⁻. As a result, the KHFDF-modified films exhibit high quality with a larger grain size and a reduced trap-state density, thereby suppressing the trap-state nonradiative recombination. And the devices show a champion efficiency up to 24.15%, benefiting from a sharp enhancement of open-circuit voltage (V_oc) of 1.183 V and fill factor of 81.78%. In addition, due to the enhanced humidity tolerance and chemical structure stability, the devices exhibit excellent long-term humidity and thermal stability without encapsulation.     

Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells via Dual Functionalization of Dopamine Semiquinone Radical with Improved Trap Passivation Capabilities

Highly efficient planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells (PVSCs) with dopamine (DA) semiquinone radical modified poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) (DA‐PEDOT:PSS) as a hole transporting layer (HTL) were fabricated. A combination of characterization techniques were employed to investigate the effects of DA doping on the electron donating capability of DA‐PEDOT:PSS, perovskite film quality and charge recombination kinetics in the solar cells. Our study shows that DA doping endows the DA‐PEDOT:PSS‐modified PVSCs with a higher radical content and greater perovskite to HTL charge extraction capability. In addition, the DA doping also improves work function of the HTL, increases perovskite film crystallinity, and the amino and hydroxyl groups in DA can interact with the undercoordinated Pb atoms on the perovskite crystal, reducing charge‐recombination rate and increasing charge‐extraction efficiency. Therefore, the DA‐PEDOT:PSS‐modified solar cells outperform those based on PEDOT:PSS, increasing open‐circuit voltage (V _oc) and power conversion efficiency (PCE) to 1.08 V and 18.5%, respectively. Even more importantly, the efficiency of the unencapsulated DA‐PEDOT:PSS‐based PVSCs are well retained with only 20% PCE loss after exposure to air for 250 hours. These in‐depth insights into structure and performance provide clear and novel guidelines for the design of effective HTLs to facilitate the practical application of inverted planar heterojunction PVSCs.     

Synergistic Toughening and Self-Healing Strategy for Highly Efficient and Stable Flexible Perovskite Solar Cells

Halide perovskites are qualified to meet the flexibility demands of optoelectronic field because of their merits of flexibility, lightness, and low cost. However, the intrinsic defects and deformation-induced ductile fracture in both perovskite and buried interface significantly restrict the photoelectric performance and longevity of flexible perovskite solar cells (PVSCs). Here, a dual-dynamic cross-linking network is schemed to boost the photovoltaic efficiency and mechanical stability of flexible PVSCs by incorporating natural polymerizable small molecule α-lipoic acid (LA). The LA therein can be autonomously ring-opening polymerized through dynamic disulfide bonds and hydrogen bonds, concurrently forming coordination bonds to interact with perovskite component. Importantly, the polymerization product can serve as efficacious passivating and toughening agents to simultaneously optimize interfacial contact, enhance perovskite crystallinity and sustain robust mechanical bendability. Subsequently, the rigid (or flexible) p-i-n device realizes a champion efficiency of 22.43% (or 19.03%) with prominent operational stability. Moreover, the dual-dynamic cross-linking network endows PVSCs with bendability and self-healing capacity, allowing the optimized devices to retain >80% efficiency after 3000 bending cycles, and subsequently restore to ≈95% of its initial efficiency under mild heat-treatment. This toughening and self-healing strategy provides a facile and efficient path to prolong operational lifetime of flexible device.     

A Polymer Defect Passivator for Efficient Hole-Conductor-Free Printable Mesoscopic Perovskite Solar Cells

Due to the low cost and excellent potential for mass production, printable mesoscopic perovskite solar cells (p-MPSCs) have drawn a lot of attention among other device structures. However, the low open-circuit voltage (V_OC) of such devices restricts their power conversion efficiency (PCE). This limitation is brought by the high defect density at perovskite grain boundaries in the mesoporous scaffold, which results in severe nonradiative recombination and is detrimental to the V_OC. To improve the perovskite crystallization process, passivate the perovskite defects, and enhance the PCE, additive engineering is an effective way. Herein, a polymeric Lewis base polysuccinimide (PSI) is added to the perovskite precursor solution as an additive. It improves the perovskite crystallinity and its carbonyl groups strongly coordinate with Pb²⁺, which can effectively passivate defects. Additionally, compared with its monomer, succinimide (SI), PSI serves as a better defect passivator because the long-chained macromolecule can be firmly anchored on those defect sites and form a stronger interaction with perovskite grains. As a result, the champion device has a PCE of 18.84%, and the V_OC rises from 973 to 1030 mV. This study offers a new strategy for fabricating efficient p-MPSCs.     

Multifunctional Small Molecule as Buried Interface Passivator for Efficient Planar Perovskite Solar Cells

The improvement of power conversion efficiency (PCE) and stability of the perovskite solar cell (PSC) is hindered by carrier recombination originating from the defects at the buried interface of the PSC. It is crucial to suppress the nonradiative recombination and facilitate carrier transfer in PSC via interface engineering. Herein, P-biguanylbenzoic acid hydrochloride (PBGH) is developed to modify the tin oxide (SnO₂)/perovskite interface. The effects of PBGH on carrier transportation, perovskite growth, defect passivation, and PSC performance are systematically investigated. On the one hand, the PBGH can effectively passivate the trap states of Sn dangling bonds and O vacancies on the SnO₂ surface via Lewis acid/base coordination, which is conducive to improving the conductivity of SnO₂ film and accelerating the electron extraction. On the other hand, PBGH modification assists the formation of high-quality perovskite film with low defect density due to its strong interaction with PbI₂. Consequently, the PBGH-modified PSC exhibits a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 24.79%, which is one of the highest PCEs among all the FACsPbI₃-based PSCs reported to date. In addition, the stabilities of perovskite films and devices under high temperature/humidity and light illumination conditions are also systematically studied.     

In Situ Growth of 2D Perovskite Capping Layer for Stable and Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells

2D halide perovskites have recently been recognized as a promising avenue in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) in terms of encouraging stability and defect passivation effect. However, the efficiency (less than 15%) of ultrastable 2D Ruddlesden–Popper PSCs still lag far behind their traditional 3D perovskite counterparts. Here, a rationally designed 2D‐3D perovskite stacking‐layered architecture by in situ growing 2D PEA₂PbI₄ capping layers on top of 3D perovskite film, which drastically improves the stability of PSCs without compromising their high performance, is reported. Such a 2D perovskite capping layer induces larger Fermi‐level splitting in the 2D‐3D perovskite film under light illumination, resulting in an enhanced open‐circuit voltage (V_oc) and thus a higher efficiency of 18.51% in the 2D‐3D PSCs. Time‐resolved photoluminescence decay measurements indicate the facilitated hole extraction in the 2D‐3D stacking‐layered perovskite films, which is ascribed to the optimized energy band alignment and reduced nonradiative recombination at the subgap states. Benefiting from the high moisture resistivity as well as suppressed ion migration of the 2D perovskite, the 2D‐3D PSCs show significantly improved long‐term stability, retaining nearly 90% of the initial power conversion efficiency after 1000 h exposure in the ambient conditions with a high relative humidity level of 60 ± 10%.     

Metal Oxide Charge Transport Layers for Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells

Currently, the efficiency of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is ≈24%. For the fabrication of such high efficiency PSCs, it is necessary to use both electron and hole transport layers to effectively separate the charges generated by light absorption of the perovskite layer and selectively transfer the separated electrons and holes. In addition to the efficiency, the materials used for transporting charges must be resilient to light, heat, and moisture to ensure long‐term stability of PSCs; furthermore, low‐cost fabrication is required to form a charge transport layer at low temperatures by a solution process. For this purpose, metal oxides are best suited as charge transport materials for PSCs because of their advantages such as low cost, long‐term stability, and high efficiency. In this Review, the metal oxide electron and hole transport materials used in PSCs are reviewed and preparation of these materials is summarized. Finally, the challenges and future research direction for metal oxide‐based charge transport materials are described.     

Modulation on Electrostatic Potential of Passivator for Highly Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells

The perovskite layer contains a large number of charged defects that seriously impair the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), thus it is essential to develop an effective passivation strategy to heal them. Based on theoretical calculations, it is found that enhancing the electrostatic potential of passivators can improve passivation effect and adsorption energy between charged defects and passivators. Herein, an electrostatic potential modulation (EPM) strategy is developed to design passivators for highly efficient and stable PSCs. With the EPM strategy, 1-phenylethylbiguanide (PEBG) and 1-phenylbiguanide (PBG) are designed. It is found that the charge distribution and electrostatic potential of phenyl- and phenylethyl- substituent on the biguanide are significantly enhanced. The N atom directly bonding to the phenyl group shows larger positive charge than that bonding to the phenylethyl group. The modulated electrostatic potential makes PBG bind stronger with the defects on perovskite surface. Based on the effective passivation of EPM, a champion efficiency of 24.67% is realized and the device retain 91.5% of its initial PCE after ≈1300 h. The promising EPM strategy, which provides a principle of passivator design and allows passivation to be controllable, may advance further optimization and application of perovskite solar cells toward commercialization.     

Chiral Stereoisomer Engineering of Electron Transporting Materials for Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells

A series of chiral stereoisomers of electron transporting materials with two chiral substituents is rationally designed and synthesized, and the influence of stereoisomerism on their physical and electronic properties is investigated to demonstrate highly efficient and stable perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Compared to mesomeric naphthalene diimide (NDI) derivatives, which have heterochiral side groups with centrosymmetric molecular packing of symmetric‐shaped conformers in the crystalline state, enantiomeric NDI derivatives have homochiral side groups that exhibit non‐centrosymmetric molecular packing of asymmetric‐shaped conformers in the crystalline state and exhibit better solution processability based on one order of magnitude higher solubility. A similar trend is observed in different rylene diimide stereoisomers based on larger semiconducting core perylene diimide. The PSCs based on NDI enantiomers with good film‐forming ability and a very high lowest phase transition temperature (T_lowest) of 321 °C exhibit a high and uniform average power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.067 ± 0.654%. These PSCs also have a high temporal device stability, with less than 10% degradation of the PCE at 100 °C for 1000 h without encapsulation. Therefore, chiral stereoisomer engineering of charge transporting materials is a potential approach to achieve high solution processability, excellent performance, and significant temporal stability in organic electronic devices.