Scalable Fabrication of High‐Efficiency Thin‐Film Perovskite Solar Cells in Air via Polymer‐Mediated Synthesis of α‐FAPbI <sub>3</sub> Microcrystals

Formamidinium lead triiodide (FAPbI<sub>3</sub>) perovskite solar cells (PSCs) demonstrate exceptional photovoltaic performance but face critical stability challenges impeding commercialization. Herein, we integrate polypropylene glycol (PPG) into an inverse temperature crystallization process to synthesize highly stable α-FAPbI<sub>3</sub> microcrystals, which retain phase purity for over six months in air. Our approach enables large-scale production (nearly 50 g) of PPG-coated α-FAPbI<sub>3</sub> (target) microcrystals from low-cost PbI<sub>2</sub>, with over 95% yield-sufficient to manufacture 23 m<sup>2</sup> of perovskite solar modules. Redissolving the target α-FAPbI<sub>3</sub> microcrystals, followed by spin-coating and annealing, yields target perovskite films with reduced defect density, minimized residual strain, and enhanced carrier transport. Mechanistic investigations reveal that colloidal species form upon the redissolution of target microcrystals which modulate the film crystallization kinetics, i.e. accelerating (100)-oriented nucleation and growth. Employing this integrated strategy, a champion PSC with a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 26.50% (certified 26.22%) was obtained at a laboratory scale (0.06 cm<sup>2</sup>) and 22.66% for a module with an aperture area of 28.99 cm<sup>2</sup>, together with prolonged operational stability. This work opens new avenues for the industrial-scale fabrication of efficient and stable large-area perovskite photovoltaics.

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Journal
Advanced Materials
Published
2026-02-05
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202522508
Primary Topic
Perovskite Materials and Applications
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Scalable Fabrication of High‐Efficiency Thin‐Film Perovskite Solar Cells in Air via Polymer‐Mediated Synthesis of α‐FAPbI 3 Microcrystals

Chenxu Zhao, ZhaoFu Fei, Huifang Han, Paul Dyson et al.
Advanced Materials
Perovskite Materials and Applications
article

Scalable Fabrication of High‐Efficiency Thin‐Film Perovskite Solar Cells in Air via Polymer‐Mediated Synthesis of α‐FAPbI 3 Microcrystals

Chenxu Zhao, ZhaoFu Fei, Huifang Han, Paul Dyson, Kun Lang, Jia Xu, Xunhui Wang, Xiang Gao, Xi Liu, Hong Zhang, Jiale Chen, Pengchen Zou, Fan Shen, Jianxi Yao, Yao Fu, Yijun Wang
article en

Abstract

Formamidinium lead triiodide (FAPbI<sub>3</sub>) perovskite solar cells (PSCs) demonstrate exceptional photovoltaic performance but face critical stability challenges impeding commercialization. Herein, we integrate polypropylene glycol (PPG) into an inverse temperature crystallization process to synthesize highly stable α-FAPbI<sub>3</sub> microcrystals, which retain phase purity for over six months in air. Our approach enables large-scale production (nearly 50 g) of PPG-coated α-FAPbI<sub>3</sub> (target) microcrystals from low-cost PbI<sub>2</sub>, with over 95% yield-sufficient to manufacture 23 m<sup>2</sup> of perovskite solar modules. Redissolving the target α-FAPbI<sub>3</sub> microcrystals, followed by spin-coating and annealing, yields target perovskite films with reduced defect density, minimized residual strain, and enhanced carrier transport. Mechanistic investigations reveal that colloidal species form upon the redissolution of target microcrystals which modulate the film crystallization kinetics, i.e. accelerating (100)-oriented nucleation and growth. Employing this integrated strategy, a champion PSC with a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 26.50% (certified 26.22%) was obtained at a laboratory scale (0.06 cm<sup>2</sup>) and 22.66% for a module with an aperture area of 28.99 cm<sup>2</sup>, together with prolonged operational stability. This work opens new avenues for the industrial-scale fabrication of efficient and stable large-area perovskite photovoltaics.

Advanced MaterialsVol. 38(14)
North China Electric Power University (CN), Shanghai Advanced Research Institute (CN), Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (CN), San’an Optoelectronics (China) (CN), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (CH)
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 65%
Perovskite Materials and Applications
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