Post-Treating Grain Boundaries and Surface Defects by Long-Chain Polymer for Highly Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells.

Abstract

Grain boundaries (GBs) and surface defects within perovskite films are inherent challenges that affect the photovoltaic performance of perovskite solar cells  (PSCs. In this work, Nylon 11 (N11) is utilized, a long-chain polymer, for post-treating the GBs and surface defects within FAPbI₃ films. The multifunctional groups of N11 exhibit unique passivation abilities, enabling self-regulation and selective correction of reverse-charged defects. Post-treating with N11 results in high-quality FAPbI₃ films characterized by tight GBs and low surface defect density. Despite fabrication under full open-air conditions, the N11 post-treatment significantly enhances the power conversion efficiency (PCE) value of FAPbI₃ PSCs, increasing it from the reference value of 21.89% to 23.54%. Importantly, the long alkyl chain present in N11 significantly enhances the humidity stability of the PSCs. Unencapsulated PSCs treated with N11 maintain 89% of their initial PCE after exposure to air with 30% relative humidity (RH) for 1000 h, demonstrating resilience to elevated humidity levels. This work highlights the substantial improvement in the photovoltaic performance of PSCs achieved through the post-treatment with N11.