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Low-loss contacts on textured substrates for inverted perovskite solar cells

Abstract

Inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs) promise enhanced operating stability compared to their normal-structure counterparts1–3. To improve efficiency further, it is crucial to combine effective light management with low interfacial losses4,5. Here we develop a conformal self-assembled monolayer (SAM) as the hole-selective contact on light-managing textured substrates. Molecular dynamics simulations indicate cluster formation during phosphonic acid adsorption leads to incomplete SAM coverage. We devise a co-adsorbent strategy that disassembles high-order clusters, thus homogenizing the distribution of phosphonic acid molecules, thereby minimizing interfacial recombination and improving electronic structures. We report a lab-measured power-conversion efficiency (PCE) of 25.3% and a certified quasi-steady-state PCE of 24.8% for inverted PSCs, with a photocurrent approaching 95% of the Shockley-Queisser maximum. An encapsulated device having a PCE of 24.6% at room temperature retains 95% of its peak performance when stressed at 65°C and 50% relative humidity following >1000 hours of maximum power point tracking under 1-sun illumination. This represents one of the most stable PSCs subjected to accelerated ageing – achieved with a PCE surpassing 24%. The engineering of phosphonic acid adsorption on textured substrates offers a promising avenue for efficient and stable PSCs. It is also anticipated to benefit other optoelectronic devices that require light management.

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Author information

Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: So Min Park, Mingyang Wei, Nikolaos Lempesis

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    So Min Park, Heejong Shin, Deokjae Choi, Yi Yang, Bin Chen, Mercouri G. Kanatzidis & Edward H. Sargent

  2. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    So Min Park, Maral Vafaie, Eui Dae Jung, Da Bin Kim & Edward H. Sargent

  3. Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Mingyang Wei, Felix T. Eickemeyer, Shaik M. Zakeeruddin & Michael Grätzel

  4. Laboratory of Computational Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Nikolaos Lempesis, Lorenzo Agosta, Virginia Carnevali & Ursula Rothlisberger

  5. State Key Laboratory for Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, Department of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, P. R. China

    Wenjin Yu & Lixin Xiao

  6. Department of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA

    Tareq Hossain, Harindi R. Atapattu & Kenneth R. Graham

  7. Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Peter Serles & Tobin Filleter

  8. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Organic and Carbon Electronics Laboratories (ORaCEL), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA

    Kasra Darabi & Aram Amassian

  9. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    Edward H. Sargent

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  1. So Min Park
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to
Michael Grätzel or Edward H. Sargent.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

This file contains Supplementary Notes 1-5, Supplementary Tables 1-3, and Supplementary References.

Reporting Summary

Supplementary Video 1

Classical MD simulations of 2PACz adsorption.

Supplementary Video 2

Classical MD simulations of 2PACz:3-MPA adsorption.

Supplementary Video 3

AIMD simulations of 2PACz-3-MPA adsorption.

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Park, S.M., Wei, M., Lempesis, N. et al. Low-loss contacts on textured substrates for inverted perovskite solar cells.
Nature (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06745-7

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  • Received: 28 June 2023

  • Accepted: 12 October 2023

  • Published: 23 October 2023

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06745-7

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