The attainment of a well-crystallized photo-absorbing layer with minimal defects is crucial for achieving high photovoltaic performance in polycrystalline solar cells. However, in the case of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), precise control over crystallization and elemental distribution through solution processing remains a challenge. In this study, we propose the use of a multifunctional molecule, α-amino-γ-butyrolactone (ABL), as a modulator to simultaneously enhance crystallization and passivate defects, thereby improving film quality and deactivating nonradiative recombination centers in the perovskite absorber. The Lewis base groups present in ABL facilitate nucleation, leading to enhanced crystallinity, while also retarding crystallization. Additionally, ABL effectively passivates Pb2+ dangling bonds, which are major deep-level defects in perovskite films. This passivation process reduces recombination losses, promotes carrier transfer and extraction, and further improves efficiency. Consequently, the PSCs incorporating the ABL additive exhibit an increase in conversion efficiency from 18.30% to 20.36%, along with improved long-term environmental stability. We believe that this research will contribute to the design of additive molecular structures and the engineering of components in perovskite precursor colloids.
Keywords: nonradiative recombination; nucleation; perovskite solar cells; polycrystalline thin film; surface passivation.