Perovskite Solar Cell Performance Boosted by Regulating the Ion Migration and Charge Transport Dynamics via Dual-Interface Modification of Electron Transport Layer

J Phys Chem Lett. 2023 Sep 28;14(38):8620-8629. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c02356. Epub 2023 Sep 20.

Abstract

Engineering the buried interfaces of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is crucial for optimizing the device performance. We herein report a novel strategy by modifying the ETL-FTO interface with MgO, as well as the interface between the perovskite layer (PVKL) and the SnO2 electron transfer layer (ETL) with formamidine bromide (FABr). The dual-interface ETL engineering substantially improved the photoelectric conversion efficiency (19.62 → 22.04%) and suppressed the hysteresis index (14.98 → 1.09%). The structure-activity relationship was explored by using transient photoelectric and time-of-flight secondary-ion mass spectroscopic analyses. It was found that the FABr treatment enhanced the PVKL crystallinity and the PVKL-ETL interaction and that the MgO modification dramatically retarded the ion migration, which together optimized the ETL function. The mechanism underlying the influence of ion distribution on the dynamics of ions and free carriers is discussed, which may be helpful for the rational design of high-performance PSCs.