Tailored PEDOT:PSS phase segregation for high-efficiency flexible all-perovskite tandem solar cells and mini-modules
Flexible all-perovskite tandem solar cells (TSCs) promise lightweight power for portable and aerospace uses, yet performance remains limited by interfacial losses in narrow-bandgap (NBG) sub-cells, particularly arising from poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS). Here, we uncover a previously unrecognized vertical phase segregation in PEDOT:PSS films, with an insulating PSS-rich surface layer atop a conductive PEDOT-rich base. This architecture induces interfacial electric dipoles that hinder efficient hole extraction. We find that the inclusion of Triton X-100 disrupts this segregation by modulating polymer interactions, thereby suppressing surface dipole formation. NBG perovskite cells incorporating this modified interface exhibit enhanced performance and reproducibility. This strategy enables flexible TSCs with a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 25.4% and a proof-of-concept flexible tandem solar mini-module reaches 19.7%, with theoretical modeling projecting module efficiencies exceeding 24%. These results provide key insights into PEDOT:PSS interfacial phenomena and elucidate design principles for optimizing interfaces for next-generation flexible perovskite tandems.
Authors
- Jincheng Luo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8719-7007)
- Dewei Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7914-6288)
- Ayodhya N. Tiwari (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8078-5965)
- Peter Šiffalovič (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9807-0810)
- Tzu‐Ying Lin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3428-9944)
- Severin Siegrist (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1964-8259)
- Rui-Tung Kuo
- Zhan‐Hong Lin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6158-6450)
- Nada Mrkyvkova (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2619-0872)
- Fan Fu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3647-4086)
- Philipp Wechsler
- Huagui Lai
- Urs Aeberhard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2408-8468)
- Chih‐Jen Shih (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5258-3485)
- Jingwei Zhu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-1221-4110)
- Cong Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2692-1871)
Institutions
- Slovak Academy of Sciences (SK)
- Sichuan University (CN)
- National Tsing Hua University (TW)
- ETH Zurich (CH)
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering (CH)
- Bioengineering (Switzerland) (CH)
- Sulzer (Switzerland) (CH)
- Centre for Advanced Material Application of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SK)
- Institute of Physics of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SK)
- Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (CH)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-12-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-66479-0
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Perovskite Materials and Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.46