Dual-Interface Engineering in Perovskite Solar Cells with 2D Carbides

Passivating the interfaces between the perovskite and charge transport layers is crucial for enhancing the power conversion efficiency (PCE) and stability in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Here we report a dual-interface engineering approach to improving the performance of FA_0.85MA_0.15Pb(I_0.95Br_0.05)₃-based PSCs by incorporating Ti₃C₂Cl_x Nano-MXene and o-TB-GDY nanographdiyne (NanoGDY) into the electron transport layer (ETL)/perovskite and perovskite/ hole transport layer (HTL) interfaces, respectively. The dual-interface passivation simultaneously suppresses non-radiative recombination and promotes carrier extraction by forming the Pb−Cl chemical bond and strong coordination of π-electron conjugation with undercoordinated Pb defects. The resulting perovskite film has an ultralong carrier lifetime exceeding 10 μs and an enlarged crystal size exceeding 2.5 μm. A maximum PCE of 24.86 % is realized, with an open-circuit voltage of 1.20 V. Unencapsulated cells retain 92 % of their initial efficiency after 1464 hours in ambient air and 80 % after 1002 hours of thermal stability test at 85 °C.     

Low-Dimensional Dion–Jacobson-Phase Lead-Free Perovskites for High-Performance Photovoltaics with Improved Stability

1,4-butanediamine (BEA) is incorporated into FASnI₃ (FA=formamidinium) to develop a series of lead-free low-dimensional Dion–Jacobson-phase perovskites, (BEA)FA_n−1Sn_nI_3n+1. The broadness of the (BEA)FA₂Sn₃I₁₀ band gap appears to be influenced by the structural distortion owing to high symmetry. The introduction of BEA ligand stabilizes the low-dimensional perovskite structure (formation energy ca. 10⁶ j mol⁻¹), which inhibits the oxidation of Sn²⁺. The compact (BEA)FA₂Sn₃I₁₀ dominated film enables a weakened carrier localization mechanism with a charge transfer time of only 0.36 ps among the quantum wells, resulting in a carrier diffusion length over 450 nm for electrons and 340 nm for holes, respectively. Solar cell fabrication with (BEA)FA₂Sn₃I₁₀ delivers a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.43 % with negligible hysteresis. The devices can retain over 90 % of their initial PCE after 1000 h without encapsulation under N₂ environment.     

The Second Spacer Cation Assisted Growth of a 2D Perovskite Film with Oriented Large Grain for Highly Efficient and Stable Solar Cells

The fabrication of high‐quality film with large grains oriented along the direction of film thickness is important for 2D Ruddlesden–Popper perovskite‐based solar cells (PVSCs). High‐quality 2D BA₂MA_n?1Pb_nI_3n+1 (BA⁺=butylammonium, MA⁺=methylammonium, n=5) perovskite films were fabricated with a grain size of over 1 μm and preferential orientation growth by introducing a second spacer cation (SSC⁺) into the precursor solution. Dynamic light scattering showed that SSC⁺ addition can induce aggregation in the precursor solution. The precursor aggregates are favorable for the formation of large crystal grains by inducing nucleation and decreasing the nucleation sites. Applying phenylethylammonium as SSC⁺, the optimized inverted planar PVSCs presented a maximum PCE of 14.09 %, which is the highest value of the 2D BA₂MA_n?1Pb_nI_3n+1 (n=5) PVSCs. The unsealed device shows good moisture stability by maintaining around 90 % of its initially efficiency after 1000 h exposure to air (Hr=25±5 %).     

Low‐Dimensional Dion–Jacobson‐Phase Lead‐Free Perovskites for High‐Performance Photovoltaics with Improved Stability

1,4‐butanediamine (BEA) is incorporated into FASnI₃ (FA=formamidinium) to develop a series of lead‐free low‐dimensional Dion–Jacobson‐phase perovskites, (BEA)FA_n?1Sn_nI_3n+1. The broadness of the (BEA)FA₂Sn₃I₁₀ band gap appears to be influenced by the structural distortion owing to high symmetry. The introduction of BEA ligand stabilizes the low‐dimensional perovskite structure (formation energy ca. 10⁶ j mol^?1), which inhibits the oxidation of Sn²⁺. The compact (BEA)FA₂Sn₃I₁₀ dominated film enables a weakened carrier localization mechanism with a charge transfer time of only 0.36 ps among the quantum wells, resulting in a carrier diffusion length over 450 nm for electrons and 340 nm for holes, respectively. Solar cell fabrication with (BEA)FA₂Sn₃I₁₀ delivers a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.43 % with negligible hysteresis. The devices can retain over 90 % of their initial PCE after 1000 h without encapsulation under N₂ environment.     

Managing Multiple Halide-Related Defects for Efficient and Stable Inorganic Perovskite Solar Cells

Halide-related surface defects on inorganic halide perovskite not only induce charge recombination but also severely limit the long-term stability of perovskite solar cells. Herein, adopting density functional theory calculation, we verify that iodine interstitials (I_i) has a low formation energy similar to that of the iodine vacancy (V_I) and is also readily formed on the surface of all-inorganic perovskite, and it is regarded to function as an electron trap. We screen a specific 2,6-diaminopyridine (2,6-DAPy) passivator, which, with the aid of the combined effects from halogen-N_pyridine and coordination bonds, not only successfully eliminates the I_i and dissociative I₂ but also passivates the abundant V_I. Furthermore, the two symmetric neighboring -NH₂ groups interact with adjacent halides of the octahedral cluster by forming hydrogen bonds, which further promotes the adsorption of 2,6-DAPy molecules onto the perovskite surface. Such synergetic effects can significantly passivate harmful iodine-related defects and undercoordinated Pb²⁺, prolong carrier lifetimes and facilitate the interfacial hole transfer. Consequently, these merits enhance the power-conversion efficiency (PCE) from 19.6 % to 21.8 %, the highest value for this type of solar cells, just as importantly, the 2,6-DAPy-treated CsPbI_3−xBr_x films show better environmental stability.     

A thioacetamide additive-based hybrid (MA0.5FA0.5)PbI3 perovskite solar cells crossing 21 % efficiency with excellent long term stability

An additive in hybrid perovskite is playing a vital role in the increment of power conversion efficiency (PCE), stability, and reproducibility of perovskite solar cells (PVSCs). Although, single-phase α-FAPbI₃ perovskite has an ideal band gap but is continuously transforming to δ–FAPbI₃, which is non-photoactive. Here, we controlled the methylammonium (MA) and formamidinium (FA) ratio in the (MA_xFA_1-x)PbI₃ perovskite composition and tuned its morphology with the help of the thioacetamide (TAA) Lewis base additive. The optimum MA:FA ratio and fine-tuning of TAA additive result in a highly crystalline, large grain size and smooth surface of the (MA_0.5FA_0.5)PbI₃ perovskite film. These highly uniform thin films with 850 nm grain size offered a superior interaction between the perovskite material and the electron transport layer (ETL) and a longer lifetime yielding a high PCE. The (MA_0.5FA_0.5)PbI₃+1% TAA-based champion device exhibited the highest PCE of 21.29% for a small area (0.09 cm²) and 18.32% PCE for a large area (1 cm²). The TAA-assisted devices exhibited high stability with >85% retention over 500 h. These results suggest that the (MA_0.5FA_0.5)PbI₃ along with the 1% TAA additive is a promising absorber layer that can produce >21% PCE.     

Electron Acceptor Molecule Doping Induced π–π Interaction to Promote Charge Transport Kinetics for Efficient and Stable 2D/3D Perovskite Solar Cells

Although the incorporation of 2D perovskite into 3D perovskite can greatly enhance intrinsic stability, power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2D/3D perovskite is still inferior to its 3D counterpart due to poor carrier transport kinetics resulted from the quantum and dielectric confinement of 2D component. To overcome this issue, the electron acceptor molecule 1,2,4,5-tetracyanobenzene (TCNB) was introduced to trigger intermolecular π–π interaction in 2D perovskite along with the electronic doping of 2D/3D perovskite to improve charge transfer efficiency. By virtue of high electron affinity, TCNB can undergo electron transfer reaction and subsequently establish π–π interaction with 1-naphthalenemethylammonium (NMA) cations, greatly strengthening lattice rigidity and reducing exciton binding energy. Transmission electron microscopy results demonstrate that 2D phases are mainly distributed at grain boundaries, reducing defect density and weakening nonradiative recombination. Meanwhile, the p-type doping of perovskite by TCNB optimizes energy level alignment at perovskite/hole transport layer interface. Consequently, PCE of champion device is significantly boosted to 24.01 %. The unencapsulated device retains an initial efficiency close to 94 % after exposure to ambient environment for over 1000 h. This work paves a novel path for designing new mixed-dimensional perovskite solar cells with high PCE and superior stability.     

High‐efficiency polymer solar cells based on phenylenevinylene copolymer with BF2‐azopyrrole complex and CN‐PC70BM with solvent additive

Power conversion efficiency (PCE) of phenylenevinylene‐based copolymer with BF₂ azopyrrole complex (PB)/modified PC₇₀BM, that is, CN‐PC₇₀BM bulk heterojunction solar cells improves from 2.16 to 4.90% using a processing additive and drying condition. The results demonstrate that a processing additive and drying condition provides an effective means to control both the surface roughness and finer interpenetrating networks to enhance the exciton dissociation into free charge carriers, charge transportation, and collection. Taking into the account of simple device fabrication process without thermal annealing, the PCE of the polymer solar cell can further improved by chloronapthalene (CN) additive under the fast drying condition. The average carrier lifetimes extracted from the impedance spectra and found to correlate with measured PCEs. At short circuit conditions and illumination, the average charge carrier lifetime was found vary from 16.8 to 32 μs with power conversion efficiencies ranging from 3.0 to 4.9%. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2012     

A Multifunctional Polymer as an Interfacial Layer for Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells

Metal-cation defects and halogen-anion defects in perovskite films are critical to the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In this work, a random polymer, poly(methyl methacrylate-co-acrylamide) (PMMA-AM), was synthesized to serve as an interfacial passivation layer for synergistically passivating the under-coordinated Pb²⁺ and anchor the I^- of the [PbI₆]⁴⁻ octahedron. Additionally, the interfacial PMMA-AM passivation layer cannot be destroyed during the hole transport layer deposition because of its low solubility in chlorobenzene. This passivation leads to an enhancement in the open-circuit voltage from 1.12 to 1.22 V and improved stability in solar cell devices, with the device maintaining 95 % of the initial power conversion efficiency (PCE) over 1000 h of maximum power point tracking. Additionally, a large-area solar cell module was fabricated using this approach, achieving a PCE of 20.64 %.     

All‐Inorganic Perovskite CsSnBr3 as a Thermally Stable,Free‐Carrier Semiconductor

Hybrid organic‐inorganic perovskites, especially methylammonium lead triiodide (MAPbI₃), are intensely studied for their optoelectronic properties. The organic MA⁺ cation is held responsible for the superior performance of MAPbI₃ but also its instability toward moisture and heat. To explore compositions beyond MAPbI₃, we performed experiments and calculations on two isomorphous perovskites CsSnBr₃ and MASnBr₃. CsSnBr₃ is slightly smaller than MASnBr₃ in cell dimension, but outperforms MASnBr₃ in band gap energy, charge‐carrier reduced effective mass, and optical dielectric constant all by ≈19 %. These merits accumulate to drastically cut the exciton binding energy from 33 meV for MASnBr₃ to 19.6 meV for CsSnBr₃, making CsSnBr₃ a black, free‐carrier semiconductor. CsSnBr₃ also exhibits distinctly higher stability toward moisture and heat than its organic counterparts. These advantages suggest ecofriendly applications for CsSnBr₃, such as tandem solar cells and direct X‐ray detectors.     

Star-Shaped and Fused Electron Acceptors based on C3h-Symmetric Coplanar Trindeno[1, 2-b: 4, 5-b′: 7, 8-b′′]trithiophene Core for Non-Fullerene Solar Cells

Two new star-shaped and fused electron acceptors, TITT-3IC and TITT-3ICF have been designed and synthesized, which consist of a C_3h-symmetric coplanar trindeno[1, 2-b: 4, 5-b′: 7, 8-b′′]trithiophene (TITT) as the central core and 3-(dicyanomethylidene)indan-1-one and 2-(5,6-difluoro-3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-1-ylidene) malononitrile as the peripheral electron-withdrawing groups, respectively. With the large coplanar configuration and electron-rich nature of π-conjugated backbone, these two acceptors exhibit strong intermolecular charge transfer absorption in the region of 500–650 nm with the optical band gaps around 1.9 eV. Relative to TITT-3IC , TITT-3ICF shows the downshifted LUMO level and the slightly redshifted absorption with the higher molar extinction coefficient due to the stronger electron-withdrawing effect of fluorination. When blending with PTB7-Th , the TITT-3ICF- based device displays a higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.26 % than the TITT-3IC- based device (PCE=3.87 %). Comparing with the TITT-3IC -based device, the increased short circuit current (J_SC) and fill factor (FF) are responsible for the higher PCE value of the TITT-3ICF- based device, which benefits from its strong and redshifted absorption for light harvesting and proper phase separation morphology for effective exciton dissociation and charge transport. This work demonstrates that as an alternative electron-donating core, TITT will be promising in designing star-shaped non-fullerene materials.     

A New D–A conjugated polymer P(PTQD‐BDT) with PTQD acceptor and BDT donor units for BHJ polymer solar cells application

A novel donor–acceptor ( D–A ) copolymer comprising of weak electron donating BDT moiety and strong 9‐(2‐octyldodecyl)?8H‐pyrrolo[3,4‐b] bisthieno[2,3‐f:3',2'‐h] quinoxaline‐8,10(9H)‐dione (PTQD) unit denoted as P(PTQD‐BDT) was synthesized as donor material for polymer solar cells. P(PTQD‐BDT) shows a broad visible‐near‐infrared absorption band with an optical bandgap of 1.74 eV and possesses a relatively low‐lying HOMO level at ?5.28 eV. Bulk‐heterojunction polymer solar cell with the optimized blend of 1:2 (weight ratio) P(PTQD‐BDT):PC₇₁BM (processed with chloroform) shows an open circuit voltage of 0.92 V, a short circuit current density of 7.84 mA/cm², and a fill factor of 0.50, achieving a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 3.61%. The PCE has been further improved to 5.55 % (J_sc = 10.34 mA/cm², V_oc = 0.88V and FF = 0.61), when 3% v ol 1,8‐diio‐dooctane (DIO) was used as solvent additive for the processing of P(PTQD‐BDT):PC₇₁BM blended film. The enhancement in J_sc is as a result of the appropriate morphology and efficient exciton dissociation into free charge carrier. The increase in PCE has been attributed to the favorable nanoscale morphology for efficient exciton dissociation and charge transport (reduction in the electron to hole mobility ratio). © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 2390–2398     

Lead‐ and Iodide‐Deficient (CH3NH3)PbI3 (d‐MAPI): The Bridge between 2D and 3D Hybrid Perovskites

3D and 2D hybrid perovskites, which have been known for more than 20 years, have emerged recently as promising materials for optoelectronic applications, particularly the 3D compound (CH₃NH₃)PbI₃ (MAPI). The discovery of a new family of hybrid perovskites called d ‐MAPI is reported: the association of PbI₂ with both methyl ammonium (MA⁺) and hydroxyethyl ammonium (HEA⁺) cations leads to a series of five compounds with general formulation (MA)_1−2.48x(HEA)_3.48x[Pb_1−xI_3−x]. These materials, which are lead‐ and iodide‐deficient compared to MAPI while retaining 3D architecture, can be considered as a bridge between the 2D and 3D materials. Moreover, they can be prepared as crystallized thin films by spin‐coating. These new 3D materials appear very promising for optoelectronic applications, not only because of their reduced lead content, but also in account of the large flexibility of their chemical composition through potential substitutions of MA⁺, HEA⁺, Pb²⁺ and I⁻ ions.     

Enhanced Lifetime and Photostability with Low‐Temperature Mesoporous ZnTiO3/Compact SnO2 Electrodes in Perovskite Solar Cells

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 25 % mainly have SnO₂ or TiO₂ as electron‐transporting layers (ETLs). Now, zinc titanate (ZnTiO₃, ZTO) is proposed as mesoporous ETLs owing to its weak photo‐effect, excellent carrier extraction, and transfer properties. Uniform mesoporous films were obtained by spinning coating the ZTO ink and annealed below 150 °C. Photovoltaic devices based on Cs_0.05FA_0.81MA_0.14PbI_2.55B_r0.45 perovskite sandwiched between SnO₂‐mesorporous ZTO electrode and Spiro‐OMeTAD layer achieved the PCE of 20.5 %. The PSCs retained more than 95 % of their original efficiency after 100 days lifetime test without being encapsulated. Additionally, the PSCs retained over 95 % of the initial performance when subjected at the maximum power point voltage for 120 h under AM 1.5 G illumination (100 mW cm^?2), demonstrating superior working stability. The application of ZTO provides a better choice for ETLs of PSCs.     

Highly selective transport of lead cation through bulk liquid membrane by macrocyclic ligand of decyl-18-crown-6 as carrier

The liquid membrane transport of Pb²⁺ cation using decyl-18-crown-6 as selective ion carrier was studied. The transport of lead ion across the liquid membrane in the presence of S₂O ₃ ^2? , P₂O ₇ ^4? , CN^?, SCN^?, and DDC^? as stripping agents in the receiving phase shows that the nature and the concentration of the stripping agents affect on Pb²⁺ cation transport and the maximum transport occurs when the sodium thiosulfate (Na₂S₂O₃) was used. The effects of various parameters influencing the transport efficiency such as the pH of the source and receiving phases, the concentration of picrate ion as counter ion in the source phase were also studied. Five replicated experiments show that a value 82.12 ± 2.09% of the initial concentration of the Pb²⁺ cation in the source phase is extracted into the receiving phase after 4 hours. Also the selectivity and efficiency of lead ion transport from the source phase containing equimolar mixtures of Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺ and Ag⁺ metal cations were investigated.     

Lead‐Free Silver‐Bismuth Halide Double Perovskite Nanocrystals

Lead‐free perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) were obtained mainly by substituting a Pb²⁺ cation with a divalent cation or substituting three Pb²⁺ cations with two trivalent cations. The substitution of two Pb²⁺ cations with one monovalent Ag⁺ and one trivalent Bi³⁺ cations was used to synthesize Cs₂AgBiX₆ (X=Cl, Br, I) double perovskite NCs. Using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, the charge carrier relaxation mechanism was elucidated in the double perovskite NCs. The Cs₂AgBiBr₆ NCs exhibit ultrafast hot‐carrier cooling (<1 ps), which competes with the carrier trapping processes (mainly originate from the surface defects). Notably, the photoluminescence can be increased by 100 times with surfactant (oleic acid) added to passivate the defects in Cs₂AgBiCl₆ NCs. These results suggest that the double perovskite NCs could be potential materials for optoelectronic applications by better controlling the surface defects.     

Enhanced efficiency of ternary organic solar cells by doping a polymer material in P3HT:PC61BM

Doping a low‐bandgap polymer material (PDTBDT‐DTNT) as a complementary electron donor in poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]‐phenyl‐C₆₁‐butyricacid methyl ester (PC₆₁BM) blend is experimented to improve the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic solar cells (OSCs). The PCE of OSCs was increased from 3.19% to 3.75% by doping 10 wt% PDTBDT‐DTNT, which was 17.55% higher than that of the OSCs based on binary blend of P3HT:PC₆₁BM (host cells). The short‐circuit current density (J_sc) was increased to 10.11 mA·cm⁻² compared with the host cells. Although the PCE improvement could partly be attributed to more photon harvest for complementary absorption of 2 donors by doping appropriate PDTBDT‐DTNT, the promotion of charge separation and transport as well as the suppression of charge recombination due to a matrix of cascade energy levels is also important. And the better morphology of the active layer films is beneficial to the optimized performance of ternary devices.     

All‐Inorganic Perovskite CsSnBr3 as a Thermally Stable,Free‐Carrier Semiconductor

Hybrid organic‐inorganic perovskites, especially methylammonium lead triiodide (MAPbI₃), are intensely studied for their optoelectronic properties. The organic MA⁺ cation is held responsible for the superior performance of MAPbI₃ but also its instability toward moisture and heat. To explore compositions beyond MAPbI₃, we performed experiments and calculations on two isomorphous perovskites CsSnBr₃ and MASnBr₃. CsSnBr₃ is slightly smaller than MASnBr₃ in cell dimension, but outperforms MASnBr₃ in band gap energy, charge‐carrier reduced effective mass, and optical dielectric constant all by ≈19 %. These merits accumulate to drastically cut the exciton binding energy from 33 meV for MASnBr₃ to 19.6 meV for CsSnBr₃, making CsSnBr₃ a black, free‐carrier semiconductor. CsSnBr₃ also exhibits distinctly higher stability toward moisture and heat than its organic counterparts. These advantages suggest ecofriendly applications for CsSnBr₃, such as tandem solar cells and direct X‐ray detectors.     

Low-Cost Hydroxyacid Potassium Synergists as an Efficient In Situ Defect Passivator for High Performance Tin-Oxide-Based Perovskite Solar Cells

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) based on SnO₂ electron transport layers have attracted extensive research due to their compelling photovoltaic performance. Herein, we presented an in situ passivation of SnO₂ with low-cost hydroxyacid potassium synergist during deposition to optimize the interface carrier extraction and transport for high power conversion efficiency (PCE) and stabilities of PSCs. The orbital overlap of the carboxyl oxygen with the Sn atom alongwith the homogenous nano-particle deposition effectively suppresses the interfacial defects and releases the internal residual strains in the perovskite. Accordingly, a PCE of 24.91 % with a fill factor (FF) up to 0.852 is obtained for in situ passivated devices, which is one of the highest values for SnO₂-based PSCs. Moreover, the unencapsulated device maintained 80 % of its initial PCE at 80 °C over 600 h, 100 % PCE at ambient conditions for 1300 h, and 98 % after one week maximum power point tracking (MPPT) under continuous AM1.5G illumination.     

Steric Mixed-Cation 2D Perovskite as a Methylammonium Locker to Stabilize MAPbI3

The reduced dimension perovskite including 2D perovskites are one of the most promising strategies to stabilize lead halide perovskite. A mixed-cation 2D perovskite based on a steric phenyltrimethylammonium (PTA) cation is presented. The PTA-MA mixed-cation 2D perovskite of PTAMAPbI₄ can be formed on the surface of MAPbI₃ (PTAI-MAPbI₃) by controllable PTAI intercalation by either spin coating or soaking. The PTAMAPbI₄ capping layer can not only passivate PTAI-MAPbI₃ perovskite but also act as MA⁺ locker to inhibit MAI extraction and significantly enhance the stability. The highly stable PTAI-MAPbI₃ based perovskite solar cells exhibit a reproducible photovoltaic performance with a champion PCE of 21.16 %. Such unencapsulated devices retain 93 % of initial efficiency after 500 h continuous illumination. This steric mixed-cation 2D perovskite as MA⁺ locker to stabilize the MAPbI₃ is a promising strategy to design stable and high-performance hybrid lead halide perovskites.