Multisite‐Functionalized Thiazole Spacer Enables Synergistic Grain‐Boundary Healing and Energy‐Level Alignment for High‐Performance 2D/3D Perovskite Solar Cells

ABSTRACT Although 2D/3D perovskite heterostructures enhance performance in perovskite solar cells (PSCs), conventional mono‐functional spacers display inadequate defect passivation and energy‐level misalignment, accelerating grain‐boundary degradation and nonradiative losses, thus limiting power conversion efficiency (PCE) and stability. Herein, we designed a multisite‐functionalized thiazole‐based spacer, 2‐(2‐amino‐4‐thiazolyl)acetic acid (ATAA), capable of synergistically healing grain boundaries (GBs) and realigning energy levels in 2D/3D perovskites. ATAA features polyfunctional groups that coordinate undercoordinated Pb 2+ simultaneously stabilizing FA + /MA + and I − /Br − through hydrogen‐bond networks. This multi‐site interaction mediates interfacial structural reorganization and elevates defect formation energy, thereby effectively suppressing degradation at high‐risk GBs while reducing non‐radiative recombination. Furthermore, ATAA upshifts the valence band maximum (VBM) by 0.12 eV, optimizing interfacial energy alignment and facilitating charge extraction. The optimized device achieves a champion PCE of 25.82%, while large‐area device (1 cm 2 ) maintains a high PCE of 24.68%. Enabled by triple synergistic effects of ATAA in establishing 2D perovskite shielding, reinforcing hydrogen‐bond networks, and healing GBs, the devices exhibit outstanding humidity, thermal, and light stability, retaining 91% of the initial PCE after 1 200 h of maximum power point tracking (ISOS‐L‐2 protocol) under continuous illumination. This work provides both a novel material solution and fundamental design principles toward high‐performance manufacturable PSCs.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Functional Materials
Published
2026-02-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202524302
Primary Topic
Perovskite Materials and Applications
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Multisite‐Functionalized Thiazole Spacer Enables Synergistic Grain‐Boundary Healing and Energy‐Level Alignment for High‐Performance 2D/3D Perovskite Solar Cells

Chao Wu, Xiqi Wang, Feifan Chen, Haiying Zheng et al.
Advanced Functional Materials
Perovskite Materials and Applications
article

Multisite‐Functionalized Thiazole Spacer Enables Synergistic Grain‐Boundary Healing and Energy‐Level Alignment for High‐Performance 2D/3D Perovskite Solar Cells

Chao Wu, Xiqi Wang, Feifan Chen, Haiying Zheng, Xu Pan, Guozhen Liu, Zhihua Zhang, Chao Wang, Hongbo Yu
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Although 2D/3D perovskite heterostructures enhance performance in perovskite solar cells (PSCs), conventional mono‐functional spacers display inadequate defect passivation and energy‐level misalignment, accelerating grain‐boundary degradation and nonradiative losses, thus limiting power conversion efficiency (PCE) and stability. Herein, we designed a multisite‐functionalized thiazole‐based spacer, 2‐(2‐amino‐4‐thiazolyl)acetic acid (ATAA), capable of synergistically healing grain boundaries (GBs) and realigning energy levels in 2D/3D perovskites. ATAA features polyfunctional groups that coordinate undercoordinated Pb 2+ simultaneously stabilizing FA + /MA + and I − /Br − through hydrogen‐bond networks. This multi‐site interaction mediates interfacial structural reorganization and elevates defect formation energy, thereby effectively suppressing degradation at high‐risk GBs while reducing non‐radiative recombination. Furthermore, ATAA upshifts the valence band maximum (VBM) by 0.12 eV, optimizing interfacial energy alignment and facilitating charge extraction. The optimized device achieves a champion PCE of 25.82%, while large‐area device (1 cm 2 ) maintains a high PCE of 24.68%. Enabled by triple synergistic effects of ATAA in establishing 2D perovskite shielding, reinforcing hydrogen‐bond networks, and healing GBs, the devices exhibit outstanding humidity, thermal, and light stability, retaining 91% of the initial PCE after 1 200 h of maximum power point tracking (ISOS‐L‐2 protocol) under continuous illumination. This work provides both a novel material solution and fundamental design principles toward high‐performance manufacturable PSCs.

Advanced Functional Materials
University of Science and Technology of China (CN), Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (CN), Dalian University (CN), Dalian Jiaotong University (CN)
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 30%
Perovskite Materials and Applications
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.