Quenching Detrimental Reactions and Boosting Hole Extraction via Multifunctional NiOx/Perovskite Interface Passivation for Efficient and Stable Inverted Solar Cells

Nickel oxide (NiOx) is one of the most promising hole transport materials for inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, its application is severely restrained due to unfavorable interfacial reactions and insufficient charge carrier extraction. Herein, a multifunctional modification at the NiOx/perovskite interface is developed via introducing fluorinated ammonium salt ligand to synthetically solve the obstacles. Specifically, the interface modification can chemically convert detrimental Ni >= 3+ to lower oxidation state, resulting in the elimination of interfacial redox reactions. Meanwhile, interfacial dipole is incorporated simultaneously to tune the work function of NiOx and optimize energy level alignment, which effectively promotes the charge carrier extraction. Therefore, the modified NiOx-based inverted PSCs achieve a remarkable power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 22.93%. Moreover, the unencapsulated devices obtain a significantly enhanced long-term stability, maintaining over 85% and 80% of the initial PCEs after storage in ambient air with a high relative humidity of 50-60% for 1000 h and continuous operation at maximum power point under one-sun illumination for 700 h, respectively.

Automated summary

A multifunctional modification at the NiOx/perovskite interface is developed by introducing fluorinated ammonium salt ligand, which successfully solves the issues of unfavorable interfacial reactions and insufficient charge carrier extraction in NiOx-based inverted PSCs. The interface modification chemically converts detrimental Ni >= 3+ to lower oxidation state, eliminating interfacial redox reactions. Additionally, interfacial dipole is incorporated to optimize energy level alignment and promote charge carrier extraction. As a result, the modified NiOx-based inverted PSCs achieve a remarkable power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 22.93% and exhibit significantly enhanced long-term stability.