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.

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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

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article

Solvent engineering enables tin-lead perovskite films with long carrier diffusion lengths and reduced tin segregation

Xiaotian Yang, Qiuhan Yu, Shengjun Yuan, Yujie Yang et al.
10 citations
Nature Communications
Perovskite Materials and Applications
7.30
article

Solvent engineering enables tin-lead perovskite films with long carrier diffusion lengths and reduced tin segregation

Xiaotian Yang, Qiuhan Yu, Shengjun Yuan, Yujie Yang, Zhuo Zheng, Qianqian Lin, Mubai Li, Hao Li, Sheng Li, Zhiping Wang, Siyang Cheng
article en
10 citations

Abstract

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.

Nature CommunicationsVol. 16(1)
Wuhan University of Technology (CN), Wuhan University (CN), Wuhan Institute of Technology (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Wuhan University
Openalex Percentile: Top 3%
Perovskite Materials and Applications
7.30
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