Solvent engineering enables tin-lead perovskite films with long carrier diffusion lengths and reduced tin segregation
All-perovskite tandem solar cells offer great promise for achieving low levelized cost of electricity, but their performance remains limited by insufficient near-infrared photon absorption in narrow bandgap tin-lead (Sn-Pb) subcells. Micron-thick Sn-Pb layers are essential for maximizing absorption, yet high-concentration precursor solutions often cause non-uniform crystallization, stoichiometric imbalance and limited carrier diffusion lengths. Here we identify the root cause of these limitations as the insufficient coordination of tin(II) iodide (SnI<sub>2</sub>) in conventional dimethylformamide (DMF)/dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) binary solvent system at high precursor concentrations, resulting in Sn-rich colloids that nucleate detrimental Sn-rich phases in final films. To address this, we develop a ternary solvent system that fully coordinates with SnI<sub>2</sub>, suppressing Sn-rich phases and enabling stoichiometric, micron-thick Sn-Pb films with carrier diffusion lengths of ~11 μm. The enhanced Sn-Pb absorber achieves efficiencies of 24.2% in single-junction cells and 29.3% in tandem devices, along with significantly improved long-term operational stability.
Authors
- Xiaotian Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5780-6166)
- Qiuhan Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0536-1756)
- Shengjun Yuan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6208-1502)
- Yujie Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-5779-388X)
- Zhuo Zheng
- Qianqian Lin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6144-1761)
- Mubai Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0027-6368)
- Hao Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9433-1198)
- Sheng Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1948-3538)
- Zhiping Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3081-0472)
- Siyang Cheng
Institutions
- Wuhan University of Technology (CN)
- Wuhan University (CN)
- Wuhan Institute of Technology (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-08-29
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-63532-w
- Citations
- 10
- Primary Topic
- Perovskite Materials and Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 7.30
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Wuhan University