Core Extended Conjugation in Thiophene‐Based Cations Enables Open‐Circuit Voltage Improvement in Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells
Interface engineering plays a pivotal role in enhancing the performance and stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Here, we explore the influence of core conjugation in thiophene‐based ammonium cations as surface passivation agents in the inverted (p–i–n) device architecture. The increased bonding strength observed with the conjugation extension allows specific defect suppression at the perovskite/PCBM interface, confirmed by combined spectroscopic analysis and density functional theory simulations. This passivation strategy yields a remarkable increase in the device open‐circuit voltage ( V oc ), resulting in a champion power conversion efficiency of 22.8%, compared to 20.8% in the control device. This study highlights the importance of molecular conjugation and halide choice in designing efficient surface passivation strategies for effective surface defect passivation in high‐performance PSCs.
Authors
- Udo Schwingenschlögl (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4179-7231)
- Lorenzo Pancini
- Francesco Toniolo
- Peter Šiffalovič (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9807-0810)
- Matteo Degani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7422-331X)
- Giulia Grancini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8704-4222)
- Aleksandra Oranskaia
- Nada Mrkyvkova (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2619-0872)
- Filippo Doria (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1308-1060)
- Riccardo Pallotta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6033-8280)
Institutions
- University of Pavia (IT)
- Centre for Advanced Material Application of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SK)
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (SA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Solar RRL
- Published
- 2025-09-23
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/solr.202500582
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Perovskite Materials and Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.73
Funders
- European Commission
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
- Università degli Studi di Pavia
- Agentúra na Podporu Výskumu a Vývoja
- Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca