Downward Homogenized Crystallization for Inverted Wide-Bandgap Mixed-Halide Perovskite Solar Cells with 21% Efficiency and Suppressed Photo-Induced Halide Segregation

Abstract

Mixed-halide perovskite has an irreplaceable role as wide-bandgap absorber in multi-junction tandem solar cells. However, large open-circuit voltage (V_oc) loss due to non-uniform halide distribution and compromised device stability due to photo-induced halide segregation has significantly limited the applications. Here, it is introduced 4-(2-aminoethyl)-benzenesulfonyl fluoride hydrochloride (ABF) with multifunctional groups (sulfonyl, ammonium, and fluoride) to the mixed-halide precursor to demonstrate a downward homogenized crystallization strategy for suppressing the initial vertical halide phase separation during perovskite crystallization and reducing V_oc loss. Furthermore, fluoride with strong electronegativity effectively fixes anions and cations, while sulfonyl and ammonium are used to passivate positive charged (halide vacancies) and negative charged (FA/MA vacancies) defects, respectively, thereby reducing the generation of ion vacancies that lead to subsequent photo-induced halide segregation. As a result, the 1.63 and 1.68 eV wide-bandgap perovskite solar cells with inverted structures exhibit the champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 21.76% and 20.11% with V_oc of 1.18 and 1.21 V, respectively. Most importantly, the optimized devices without encapsulation preserve 86% of initial efficiency after 240 h of continuous illumination under AM 1.5G, showing excellent light stability. Thus, the homogenized crystallization strategy provides highly efficient performance and stability for future tandem solar cell applications.