Efficient and stable inverted perovskite solar cells enabled by homogenized PCBM with enhanced electron transport

Abstract

Fullerene derivatives are extensively employed in inverted perovskite solar cells due to their excellent electron extraction capabilities. However, [6,6]-phenyl-C₆₁-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) agglomerates easily in solution and exhibits a relatively low ionization barrier, increasing charge recombination losses and charge accumulation in the interface. Here, tetramethylthiuram disulfide (TMDS) is introduced into the PCBM solution to induce the formation of reducing sulfur radicals through UV light irradiation, allowing for n doping of the PCBM material. The resulting modified PCBM layer exhibits enhanced conductivity and electron mobility, significantly suppressing charge recombination. As a result, the resulting devices incorporating TMDS achieve a champion efficiency of 26.10% (certified 25.39%) and 24.06% at a larger area (1.0 cm²) with negligible hysteresis. More importantly, the optimized devices retain 95% and 90% of their initial efficiency after 1090 h under damp heat testing (85 °C and 85% relative humidity) and after 1271 h under maximum power point-tracking conditions, respectively.