Bilateral Chemical Linking at NiO x Buried Interface Enables Efficient and Stable Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells and Modules.

Inverted NiO _x -based perovskite solar cells (PSCs) exhibit considerable potential because of their low-temperature processing and outstanding excellent stability, while is challenged by the carriers transfer at buried interface owing to the inherent low carrier mobility and abundant surface defects that directly deteriorates the overall device fill factor. Present work demonstrates a chemical linker with the capability of simultaneously grasping NiO _x and perovskite crystals by forming a Ni-S-Pb bridge at buried interface to significantly boost the carriers transfer, based on a rationally selected molecule of 1,3-dimethyl-benzoimidazol-2-thione (NCS). The constructed buried interface not only reduces the pinholes and needle-like residual PbI ₂ at the buried interface, but also deepens the work function and valence band maximum positions of NiO _x , resulting in a smaller VBM offset between NiO _x and perovskite film. Consequently, the modulated PSCs achieved a high fill factor up to 86.24 %, which is as far as we know the highest value in records of NiO _x -based inverted PSCs. The NCS custom-tailored PSCs and minimodules (active area of 18 cm ² ) exhibited a champion efficiency of 25.05 % and 21.16 %, respectively. The unencapsulated devices remains over 90 % of their initial efficiency at maximum power point under continuous illumination for 1700 hours.
(© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)