Dual‐Sided Interface Engineering via Aluminum Glycinate for Efficient and Stable P‐I‐N PbS Quantum Dot Solar Cells

ABSTRACT Lead sulfide (PbS) colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) offer exceptional promise for next‐generation low‐cost photovoltaics with tandem architectures, owing to their superior light‐harvesting capabilities in the short‐wave infrared (SWIR) region. However, interfacial mismatches in architectures limit their compatibility with current high‐efficiency, solution‐processed p‐i‐n tandem cells. To overcome these limitations, we introduce an interfacial engineering strategy between hole transport layer (HTL) and PbS CQDs layer by using a multifunctional organometallic linker aluminum glycinate (AG). Spectroscopic analysis reveals a dual interfacial modification mechanism, wherein aluminum centers in AG coordinate with residual phosphonic acids on HTL to minimize chemical disorder, while amino and carboxyl groups synergistically heal undercoordinated Pb surface defects. This strategy establishes a chemically robust transition layer that significantly suppresses non‐radiative recombination. Consequently, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) increases substantially from 12.78% to 14.12%, representing one of the highest reported efficiencies for p‐i‐n PbS CQD solar cells to date. This work offers a straightforward chemical modulation pathway to overcome interfacial carrier losses, advancing PbS CQDs toward practical deployment in next‐generation infrared and tandem photovoltaics.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Optical Materials
Published
2026-07-16
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.71469
Primary Topic
Quantum Dots Synthesis And Properties
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Dual‐Sided Interface Engineering via Aluminum Glycinate for Efficient and Stable P‐I‐N PbS Quantum Dot Solar Cells

Zeke Liu, Wanli Ma, Leliang Song, Juncheng Zhu et al.
Advanced Optical Materials
Quantum Dots Synthesis And Properties
article

Dual‐Sided Interface Engineering via Aluminum Glycinate for Efficient and Stable P‐I‐N PbS Quantum Dot Solar Cells

Zeke Liu, Wanli Ma, Leliang Song, Juncheng Zhu, Xiaohu Chen, Can Gao, J F Xu, Yu Yin, Kunyuan Lu, Zheng Han, Guozheng Shi
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Lead sulfide (PbS) colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) offer exceptional promise for next‐generation low‐cost photovoltaics with tandem architectures, owing to their superior light‐harvesting capabilities in the short‐wave infrared (SWIR) region. However, interfacial mismatches in architectures limit their compatibility with current high‐efficiency, solution‐processed p‐i‐n tandem cells. To overcome these limitations, we introduce an interfacial engineering strategy between hole transport layer (HTL) and PbS CQDs layer by using a multifunctional organometallic linker aluminum glycinate (AG). Spectroscopic analysis reveals a dual interfacial modification mechanism, wherein aluminum centers in AG coordinate with residual phosphonic acids on HTL to minimize chemical disorder, while amino and carboxyl groups synergistically heal undercoordinated Pb surface defects. This strategy establishes a chemically robust transition layer that significantly suppresses non‐radiative recombination. Consequently, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) increases substantially from 12.78% to 14.12%, representing one of the highest reported efficiencies for p‐i‐n PbS CQD solar cells to date. This work offers a straightforward chemical modulation pathway to overcome interfacial carrier losses, advancing PbS CQDs toward practical deployment in next‐generation infrared and tandem photovoltaics.

Advanced Optical Materials
Soochow University (CN), Macquarie University (AU)
Suzhou Key Laboratory of Functional Nano and Soft Materials, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Higher Education Discipline Innovation Project
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 19%
Quantum Dots Synthesis And Properties
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