High Optical Gain of Solution-Processed Mixed-Cation CsPbBr3 Thin Films towards Enhanced Amplified Spontaneous Emission

A solution-processed thin film made of all-inorganic CsPbBr₃ perovskite is a promising candidate for low-cost and flexible green-color lasers. However, the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) of solution-processed CsPbBr₃ films still experiences a high threshold owing to poor morphology and insufficient optical gain. Here, a multiple-cation doping strategy is demonstrated to develop compact, smooth thin films of Cs_0.87(FAMA)_0.13PbBr₃/(NMA)₂PbBr₄ (FA: formamidinium; MA: methylammonium; NMA: naphthylmethylammonium) with a record high net modal optical gain of ≈ 3030 cm⁻¹ and low propagation loss of 1.0 cm⁻¹. The FA and MA cations improve the crystallization kinetics to form continuous films, and the NMA cations reduce the grain dimension, increase film dispersibility/uniformity, and enhance spatial confinement to promote optical gain. Room-temperature ASE is demonstrated under a low threshold of ≈ 3.8  µ J cm⁻² without degradation after four months of storage in glove box or excitation by 3 × 10⁷ laser pulses. These findings provide insights into enhancing the optical gain and lowering the threshold of perovskite lasers in terms of molecular synthesis and microstructure engineering.     

High-Performance Photodetector and Angular-Dependent Random Lasing from Long-Chain Organic Diammonium Sandwiched 2D Hybrid Perovskite Non-Linear Optical Single Crystal

3D organic-inorganic metal halide perovskites are excellent materials for optoelectronic applications due to their exceptional properties, solution processability, and cost-effectiveness. However, the lack of environmental stability highly restricts them from practical applications. Herein, a stable centimeter-long 2D hybrid perovskite (N-MPDA)[PbBr₄] single crystal using divalent N1-methylpropane-1,3-diammonium (N-MPDA) cation as an organic spacer, is reported. The as-grown single crystal exhibits stable optoelectronic performance, low threshold random lasing, and multi-photon luminescence/multi-harmonic generation. A photoconductive device fabricated using (N-MPDA)[PbBr₄] single crystal exhibits an excellent photoresponsivity (≈124 AW⁻¹ at 405 nm) that is ≈4 orders of magnitudes higher than that of monovalent organic spacer-assisted 2D perovskites, such as (BA)₂PbBr₄ and (PEA)₂PbBr₄, and large specific detectivity (≈10¹² Jones). As an optical gain media, the (N-MPDA)[PbBr₄] single crystal exhibits a low threshold random lasing (≈6.5 µJ cm⁻²) with angular dependent narrow linewidth (≈0.1 nm) and high-quality factor (Q ≈ 2673). Based on these results, the outstanding optoelectronic merits of (N-MPDA)[PbBr₄] single crystal will offer a high-performance device and act as a dynamic material to construct stable future electronics and optoelectronic-based applications.     

Flexible Transparent Bifunctional Capacitive Sensors with Superior Areal Capacitance and Sensing Capability based on PEDOT:PSS/MXene/Ag Grid Hybrid Electrodes

Flexible transparent supercapacitors (FTSs) have aroused considerable attention. Nonetheless, balancing energy storage capability and transparency remains challenging. Herein, a new type of FTSs with both excellent energy storage and superior transparency is developed based on PEDOT:PSS/MXene/Ag grid ternary hybrid electrodes. The hybrid electrodes can synergistically utilize the high optoelectronic properties of Ag grids, the excellent capacitive performance of MXenes, and the superior chemical stability of PEDOT:PSS, thus, simultaneously demonstrating excellent optoelectronic properties (T: ≈89%, R_s: ≈39 Ω sq⁻¹), high areal specific capacitance, superior mechanical softness, and excellent anti-oxidation capability. Due to the excellent comprehensive performances of the hybrid electrodes, the resulting FTSs exhibit both high optical transparency (≈71% and ≈60%) and large areal specific capacitance (≈3.7 and ≈12 mF cm⁻²) besides superior energy storage capacity (P: 200.93, E: 0.24 µWh cm⁻²). Notably, the FTSs show not only excellent energy storage but also exceptional sensing capability, viable for human activity recognition. This is the first time to achieve FTSs that combine high transparency, excellent energy storage and good sensing all-in-one, which make them stand out from conventional flexible supercapacitors and promising for next-generation smart flexible energy storage devices.     

Ultrahigh Energy Density of Antiferroelectric PbZrO3-Based Films at Low Electric Field

Dielectric capacitors play a vital role in advanced electronics and power systems as a medium of energy storage and conversion. Achieving ultrahigh energy density at low electric field/voltage, however, remains a challenge for insulating dielectric materials. Taking advantage of the phase transition in antiferroelectric (AFE) film PbZrO₃ (PZO), a small amount of isovalent (Sr²⁺) / aliovalent (La³⁺) dopants are introduced to form a hierarchical domain structure to increase the polarization and enhance the backward switching field E_A simultaneously, while maintaining a stable forward switching field E_F. An ultrahigh energy density of 50 J cm⁻³ is achieved for the nominal Pb_0.925La_0.05ZrO₃ (PLZ5) films at low electric fields of 1 MV cm⁻¹, exceeding the current dielectric energy storage films at similar electric field. This study opens a new avenue to enhance energy density of AFE materials at low field/voltage based on a gradient-relaxor AFE strategy, which has significant implications for the development of new dielectric materials that can operate at low field/voltage while still delivering high energy density.     

Zero‐Dimensional Perovskite Nanocrystals for Efficient Luminescent Solar Concentrators

Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) are able to efficiently harvest solar energy through large‐area photovoltaic windows, where fluorophores are delicately embedded. Among various types of fluorophores, all‐inorganic perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) are emerging candidates as absorbers/emitters in LSCs due to their size/composition/dimensionality tunable optical properties and high photoluminescence quantum yield (PL QY). However, due to the large overlap between absorption and emission spectra, it is still challenging to fabricate high‐efficiency LSCs. Intriguingly, zero‐dimensional (0D) perovskites provide a number of features that meet the requirements for a potential LSC absorber, including i) small absorption/emission spectral overlap (Stokes shift up to 1.5 eV); ii) high PL QY (>95% for bulk crystal); iii) robust stability as a result of its large exciton binding energy; and iv) ease of synthesis. In this work, as a proof‐of‐concept experiment, Cs₄PbBr₆ perovskite NCs are used to fabricate semi‐transparent large‐area LSCs. Cs₄PbBr₆ perovskite film exhibits green emission with a high PL QY of ≈58% and a small absorption/emission spectral overlap. The optimized LSCs exhibit an external optical efficiency of as high as 2.4% and a power conversion efficiency of 1.8% (100 cm²). These results indicate that 0D perovskite NCs are excellent candidates for high‐efficiency LSCs compared to 3D perovskite NCs.     

Ultrahigh Energy‐Storage Density in NaNbO3‐Based Lead‐Free Relaxor Antiferroelectric Ceramics with Nanoscale Domains

Dielectric energy‐storage capacitors have received increasing attention in recent years due to the advantages of high voltage, high power density, and fast charge/discharge rates. Here, a new environment‐friendly 0.76NaNbO₃–0.24(Bi_0.5Na_0.5)TiO₃ relaxor antiferroelectric (AFE) bulk ceramic is studied, where local orthorhombic Pnma symmetry (R phase) and nanodomains are observed based on high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, and in/ex situ synchrotron X‐ray diffraction. The orthorhombic AFE R phase and relaxor characteristics synergistically contribute to the record‐high energy‐storage density W_rec of ≈12.2 J cm^?3 and acceptable energy efficiency η ≈ 69% at 68 kV mm^?1, showing great advantages over currently reported bulk dielectric ceramics. In comparison with normal AFEs, the existence of large random fields in the relaxor AFE matrix and intrinsically high breakdown strength of NaNbO₃‐based compositions are thought to be responsible for the observed energy‐storage performances. Together with the good thermal stability of W_rec (>7.4 J cm^?3) and η (>73%) values at 45 kV mm^?1 up to temperature of 200 °C, it is demonstrated that NaNbO₃‐based relaxor AFE ceramics will be potential lead‐free dielectric materials for next‐generation pulsed power capacitor applications.     

Centimeter‐Sized Cs4PbBr6 Crystals with Embedded CsPbBr3 Nanocrystals Showing Superior Photoluminescence: Nonstoichiometry Induced Transformation and Light‐Emitting Applications

An HBr‐assisted slow cooling method is developed for the growth of centimeter‐sized Cs₄PbBr₆ crystals. The obtained crystals show strong green photoluminescence with absolute photoluminescence quantum yields up to 97%. More importantly, the evolution process and structural characterizations support that the nonstoichiometry of initial Cs₄PbBr₆ crystals induce the formation of nanosized CsPbBr₃ nanocrystals in crystalline Cs₄PbBr₆ matrices. Furthermore, high efficiency and wide color gamut prototype white light‐emitting diode devices are also demonstrated by combining the highly luminescent Cs₄PbBr₆ crystals as green emitters and commercial K₂SiF₆:Mn⁴⁺ phosphor as red emitters with blue emitting GaN chips. The optimized devices generate high‐quality white light with luminous efficiency of ≈151 lm W⁻¹ and color gamut of 90.6% Rec. 2020 at 20 mA, which is much better than that based on conventional perovskite nanocrystals. The combination of improved efficiency and better stability with comparable color quality provides an alternative choice for liquid crystal display backlights.     

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.     

Synergy of Organic and Inorganic Sites in 2D Perovskite for Fast Neutron and X-Ray Imaging

Fast neutron and X-ray imaging are considered complementary nondestructive detection technologies. However, due to their opposite cross-sections, development of a scintillator that is sensitive to both fast neutrons and X-rays within a single-material framework remains challenging. Herein, an organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite (C₄H₉NH₃)₂PbBr₄ (BPB) is demonstrated as a scintillator that fully meets the requirements for both fast neutron and X-ray detection. The hydrogen-rich organic component acts as a fast neutron converter and produces detectable recoil protons. The heavy atom-rich inorganic fraction efficiently deposits the energy of charged recoil protons and directly provides a large X-ray cross-section. Due to the synergy of these organic and inorganic components, the BPB scintillator exhibits high light yields (86% of the brightness of a commercial ZnS (Ag)/⁶LiF scintillator for fast neutrons; 22 000 photons per MeV for X-rays) and fast response times (τ_decay = 10.3 ns). More importantly, energy-selective fast neutron and X-ray imaging are also demonstrated, with high resolutions of ≈1 lp mm⁻¹ for fast neutrons and 17.3 lp mm⁻¹ for X-rays; these are among the highest resolution levels for 2D perovskite scintillators. This study highlights the potential of 2D perovskite materials for use in combined fast neutron and X-ray imaging applications.     

Solvent Recrystallization-Enabled Green Amplified Spontaneous Emissions with an Ultra-Low Threshold from Pinhole-Free Perovskite Films

Green and amplified spontaneous emissions with low thresholds are crucial for the development of solution-processable perovskite light sources. Although mixed-cation CsPbBr₃ perovskites are highly promising, pinholes are inevitably formed during the spin-coating process, which results in considerable optical losses. This study proposes a solvent recrystallization strategy to reduce the number of pinholes and enhance the crystallinity of (Cs, FA, MA)PbBr₃/NMA (FA = CH(NH₂)₂, MA = CH₃NH₃, and NMA = C₁₁H₉NH₃) films in a dimethyl sulfoxide gas environment. Amplified spontaneous green emissions are produced with a low threshold of 1.44 μJ cm⁻² and a high net modal gain of 1176 cm⁻¹. The reduced threshold is attributed to the relatively low propagation loss and suppressed Auger recombination, which results from the formation of a pinhole-free surface and enlarged grain size. These results can be utilized in the development of high-performance perovskite laser devices.     

Liquid-State Cathode Enabling a High-Voltage and Air-Stable Fe-Al Hybrid Battery

Aluminum (Al) is an ideal anode material in low-cost battery system for energy storage, with high theoretical capacities. However, the sluggish Al³⁺-involved kinetics challenges the selection of common cathode materials (Al³⁺ intercalation or conversion). Herein, a redox-active Fe–Cl complex serves as the liquid-state cathode to couple with a low-cost Al anode, which synergizes the advantages of redox flow batteries and Al rechargeable batteries. The interplay of Fe-Cl coordinated formula and electrochemical properties are revealed for the first time. It is found that [Fe₂Cl₇]⁻ molecule has a high voltage versus Al anode (1.3 V), and the novel Fe-Al hybrid battery fulfills a capacity of 1.6 mAh cm⁻² (20 Ah L⁻¹) record high in a coin cell among Al-based batteries. Furthermore, the energy efficiency, which is a vital parameter to evaluate the energy cost of the energy storage technology, reaches 85% (superior to most Al-based batteries) and an average of 70% over ≈900 h cycling. Particularly, the unique air-stable character enables normal operation of the battery assembled in ambient air. This work establishes a new application scenario for Al anode toward low-cost large-scale energy storage.     

Ultrahigh Energy‐Storage Density in Antiferroelectric Ceramics with Field‐Induced Multiphase Transitions

The excellent energy‐storage performance of ceramic capacitors, such as high‐power density, fast discharge speed, and the ability to operate over a broad temperature range, gives rise to their wide applications in different energy‐storage devices. In this work, the (Pb_0.98La_0.02)(Zr_0.55Sn_0.45)_0.995O₃ (PLZS) antiferroelectric (AFE) ceramics are prepared via a unique rolling machine approach. The field‐induced multiphase transitions are observed in polarization–electric field (P–E) hysteresis loops. All the PLZS AFE ceramics possess high energy‐storage densities and discharge efficiency (above 80%) with different sintering temperatures. Of particular significance is that an ultrahigh recoverable energy‐storage density of 10.4 J cm^‐3 and a high discharge efficiency of 87% are achieved at 40 kV mm^‐1 for PLZS ceramic with a thickness of 0.11 mm, sintered at 1175 °C, which are by far the highest values ever reported in bulk ceramics. Moreover, the corresponding ceramics exhibit a superior discharge current density of 1640 A cm^‐2 and ultrafast discharge speed (75 ns discharge period). This great improvement in energy‐storage performance is expected to expand the practical applications of dielectric ceramics in numerous electronic devices.     

Stereo-Active Lone Pairs Induced Giant Polarization in a 2D Ge-Based Halide Perovskite Antiferroelectric

Antiferroelectrics, characterized by electrically controlled antipolar-polar phase transformation, have attracted tremendous attention as a class of promising electroactive materials for assembling electronic devices. The emerging two-dimensional (2D) halide perovskites with superior compositional diversity offer an ideal platform for exploring electroactive materials, whereas lead-free antiferroelectric counterparts are still scarcely reported. Herein, for the first time, a new lead-free 2D germanium iodide perovskite antiferroelectric (i-BA)₂CsGe₂I₇ ( 1 , i-BA is iso-butylammonium) has been presented, which exhibits a high Curie temperature (T_c) up to 403 K. Remarkably, benefiting from the lone pair stereochemical activity in Ge²⁺ induced large structural distortion and Cs⁺ ion off-center displacement, 1 shows well-defined double P–E hysteresis loops in a wide temperature range with a giant maximum polarization up to 18.8 µC cm⁻², which achieves a new high record among molecular antiferroelectrics. Moreover, under a low external electric field of 22.5 kV cm⁻¹, the antipolar-polar phase transformation in 1 affords a recoverable energy storage density W_rec of 0.27 J cm⁻³ and high storage efficiency up to 79.76%. Such lead-free halide perovskite antiferroelectric with intriguing antiferroelectric behaviors, including high T_c, large polarization and remarkable energy storage properties, is exciting, which provides an alternative candidate for high-performance antiferroelectrics for environmentally friendly electronic devices.     

Flexible Piezoelectric Nanocomposite Generators Based on Formamidinium Lead Halide Perovskite Nanoparticles

Organic–inorganic lead halide perovskite materials have recently attracted much attention in the field of optoelectronic devices. Here, a hybrid piezoelectric nanogenerator based on a composite of piezoelectric formamidinium lead halide perovskite (FAPbBr₃) nanoparticles and polydimethylsiloxane polymer is fabricated. Piezoresponse force spectroscopy measurements reveal that the FAPbBr₃ nanoparticles contain well‐developed ferroelectric properties with high piezoelectric charge coefficient (d₃₃) of 25 pmV⁻¹. The flexible device exhibits high performance with a maximum recordable piezoelectric output voltage of 8.5 V and current density of 3.8 μA cm⁻² under periodically vertical compression and release operations. The alternating energy generated from nanogenerators can be used to charge a capacitor and light up a red light‐emitting diode through a bridge rectifier. This result innovatively expands the feasibility of organic–inorganic lead halide perovskite materials for application in a wide variety of high‐performance energy harvesting devices.     

Ultrahigh Energy Storage Capacitors Based on Freestanding Single-Crystalline Antiferroelectric Membrane/PVDF Composites

Inorganic/organic dielectric composites are very attractive for high energy density electrostatic capacitors. Usually, linear dielectric and ferroelectric materials are chosen as inorganic fillers to improve energy storage performance. Antiferroelectric (AFE) materials, especially single-crystalline AFE oxides, have relatively high efficiency and higher density than linear dielectrics or ferroelectrics. However, adding single-crystalline AFE oxides into polymers to construct composite with improved energy storage performance remains elusive. In this study, high-quality freestanding single-crystalline PbZrO₃ membranes are obtained by a water-soluble sacrificial layer method. They exhibit classic AFE behavior and then 2D–2D type PbZrO₃/PVDF composites with the different film thicknesses of PbZrO₃ (0.1-0.4 µm) is constructed. Their dielectric properties and polarization response improve significantly as compared to pure PVDF and are optimized in the PbZrO₃(0.3 µm)/PVDF composite. Consequently, a record-high energy density of 43.3 J cm⁻³ is achieved at a large breakdown strength of 750 MV m⁻¹. Phase-field simulation indicates that inserting PbZrO₃ membranes effectively reduces the breakdown path. Single-crystalline AFE oxide membranes will be useful fillers for composite-based high-power capacitors.     

Modification of Energy Level Alignment for Boosting Carbon-Based CsPbI2Br Solar Cells with 14% Certified Efficiency

Hole transfer material (HTM)-free, carbon-based all-inorganic perovskite solar cells (C-PSCs) are promising alternatives to conventional organic–inorganic hybrid PSCs in addressing thermal and moisture instability issues. However, the energy level mismatch between the inorganic perovskite and carbon electrode coupled, together with the incapability of the carbon electrode to reflect incident light for reabsorption, limits the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of C-PSCs. To address these issues, herein, a new strategy of a hexyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB)-modified CsPbI₂Br perovskite surface is devised to reduce this energy offset from 0.70 to 0.32 eV and increase the built-in potential by 70 mV for the final devices. Additionally, a CsPbI₂Br perovskite film with a thickness of up to 800 nm is realized via a hot-flow-assisted spin coating approach in an ambient atmosphere with humidity of less than 80%. Reduced energy offset coupled with suppressed charge recombination and thick perovskite layer boosts the champion PCE of CsPbI₂Br C-PSCs to 14.3% (J_sc = 14.1 mA cm⁻², V_oc = 1.26 V, and fill factor = 0.806), and the average PCE to 13.9% under one sun illumination. A new certified efficiency record of 14.0% is obtained for HTM-free inorganic C-PSCs. Meanwhile, the moisture-resistant barrier from the alkyl chain in HTAB improves the stability of the final devices.     

A Series of Hybrid Multifunctional Interfaces as Artificial SEI Layer for Realizing Dendrite Free,and Long-Life Sodium Metal Anodes (Adv. Funct. Mater. 42/2023)

Sodium metal (Na) anodes are considered the most promising anode for high-energy-density sodium batteries because of their high capacity and low electrochemical potential. However, Na metal anode undergoes uncontrolled Na dendrite growth, and unstable solid electrolyte interphase layer (SEI) formation during cycling, leading to poor coulombic efficiency, and shorter lifespan. Herein, a series of Na-ion conductive alloy-type protective interface (Na-In, Na-Bi, Na-Zn, Na-Sn) is studied as an artificial SEI layer to address the issues. The hybrid Na-ion conducting SEI components over the Na-alloy can facilitate uniform Na deposition by regulating Na-ion flux with low overpotential. Furthermore, density functional study reveals that the lower surface energy of protective alloys relative to bare Na is the key factor for facilitating facile ion diffusion across the interface. Na metal with interface layer facilitates a highly reversible Na plating/stripping for ≈790 h, higher than pristine Na metal (100 h). The hybrid self-regulating protective layers exhibit a high mechanical flexibility to promote dendrite free Na plating even at high current density (5 mA cm⁻²), high capacity (10 mAh cm⁻²), and good performance with Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃ cathode. The current study opens a new insight for designing dendrite Na metal anode for next generation energy storage devices.     

Ultra-Low Dark Current Organic–Inorganic Hybrid X-Ray Detectors

Organic-inorganic hybrid semiconductors are an emerging class of materials for direct conversion X-ray detection due to attractive characteristics such as high sensitivity and the potential to form conformal detectors. However, existing hybrid semiconductor X-ray detectors display dark currents that are 1000–10 000× higher than industrially relevant values of 1–10 pA mm⁻². Herein, ultra-low dark currents of <10 pA mm⁻², under electric fields as high as ≈4 V µm⁻¹, for hybrid X-ray detectors consisting of bismuth oxide nanoparticles (for enhanced X-ray attenuation) incorporated into an organic bulk heterojunction consisting of p-type Poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) and n-type [6,6]-Phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester (PC₇₀BM) are reported. Such ultra-low dark currents are realized through the enrichment of the hole selective p-type organic semiconductor near the anode contact. The resulting detectors demonstrate broadband X-ray response including an exceptionally high sensitivity of ≈1.5 mC Gy⁻¹ cm⁻² and <6% variation in angular dependence response under 6 MV hard X-rays. The above characteristics in combination with excellent dose linearity, dose rate linearity, and reproducibility over a broad energy range enable these detectors to be developed for medical and industrial applications.     

Ultrathin Layered Double Hydroxide Nanosheets Enabling Composite Polymer Electrolyte for All-Solid-State Lithium Batteries at Room Temperature

Solid electrolytes are the most promising substitutes for liquid electrolytes to construct high-safety and high-energy-density energy storage devices. Nevertheless, the poor lithium ion mobility and ionic conductivity at room temperature (RT) have seriously hindered their practical usage. Herein, single-layer layered-double-hydroxide nanosheets (SLN) reinforced poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) composite polymer electrolyte is designed, which delivers an exceptionally high ionic conductivity of 2.2 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ (25  ° C), superior Li⁺ transfer number ( ≈ 0.78) and wide electrochemical window ( ≈ 4.9 V) with a low SLN loading ( ≈ 1 wt%). The Li symmetric cells demonstrate ultra-long lifespan stable cycling over ≈ 900 h at 0.1 mA cm⁻², RT. Moreover, the all-solid-state Li|LiFePO₄ cells can run stably with a high capacity retention of 98.6% over 190 cycles at 0.1 C, RT. Moreover, using LiCoO₂/LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂, the all-solid-state lithium metal batteries also demonstrate excellent cycling at RT. Density functional theory calculations are performed to elucidate the working mechanism of SLN in the polymer matrix. This is the first report of all-solid-state lithium batteries working at RT with PVDF-HFP based solid electrolyte, providing a novel strategy and significant step toward cost-effective and scalable solid electrolytes for practical usage at RT.     

Dopant‐Free,Amorphous–Crystalline Heterophase SnO2 Electron Transport Bilayer Enables >20% Efficiency in Triple‐Cation Perovskite Solar Cells

Improving the ohmic contact and interfacial morphology between an electron transport layer (ETL) and perovskite film is the key to boost the efficiency of planar perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In the current work, an amorphous–crystalline heterophase tin oxide bilayer (Bi‐SnO₂) ETL is prepared via a low‐temperature solution process. Compared with the amorphous SnO₂ sol–gel film (SG‐SnO₂) or the crystalline SnO₂ nanoparticle (NP‐SnO₂) counterparts, the heterophase Bi‐SnO₂ ETL exhibits improved surface morphology, considerably fewer oxygen defects, and better energy band alignment with the perovskite without sacrificing the optical transmittance. The best PSC device (active area ≈ 0.09 cm²) based on a Bi‐SnO₂ ETL is hysteresis‐less and achieves an outstanding power conversion efficiency of ≈20.39%, which is one of the highest efficiencies reported for SnO₂‐triple cation perovskite system based on green antisolvent. More fascinatingly, large‐area PSCs (active areas of ≈3.55 cm²) based on the Bi‐SnO₂ ETL also achieves an extraordinarily high efficiency of ≈14.93% with negligible hysteresis. The improved device performance of the Bi‐SnO₂‐based PSC arises predominantly from the improved ohmic contact and suppressed bimolecular recombination at the ETL/perovskite interface. The tailored morphology and energy band structure of the Bi‐SnO₂ has enabled the scalable fabrication of highly efficient, hysteresis‐less PSCs.