Key Findings
A collaborative research team including the National University of Singapore (NUS) and its Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS) has developed inverted perovskite solar cells with a certified power conversion efficiency of 27.2% (26.6% stabilized) on a 1.02 cm² active area. The cells demonstrated high stability, retaining over 98% of their initial efficiency after 1,000 hours of continuous illumination in ambient air.
Technical Details
The researchers identified that interfacial non-radiative recombination at the C60 contact is driven by band-like states derived from the C60 lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO), which result from strong intermolecular coupling within the C60 film. To suppress these losses, the team implemented a vapor-phase molecular passivation strategy using trialkylamines to disrupt the packing of C60 molecules.
This treatment significantly weakened the LUMO-derived band-like states, resulting in the following reductions in quasi-Fermi-level splitting loss after C60 deposition:
- Reduced from 89 meV to 41 meV using the trialkylamine treatment alone.
- Reduced further to 17 meV when combined with standard surface passivation.
Background & Context
Interfacial non-radiative recombination at the C60 contact has been a major bottleneck for inverted perovskite solar cells. While previous research primarily focused on passivating trap states on the perovskite surface, the specific mechanism by which fullerene-based electron transport layers induced recombination remained unclear until this study.
Significance & Outlook
By resolving the long-standing question of why C60 induces severe interfacial recombination, this work provides a foundation for designing more comprehensive interface passivation strategies. The research involved a wide range of institutions, including Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the University of Potsdam, the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, A*STAR’s Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, and the Ningbo New Materials Testing and Evaluation Center. Corresponding author Yi Hou of NUS previously reported a certified 26.4% efficiency perovskite-organic tandem solar cell.
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