Interfacial Defect Passivation by Molecular Dipole‐Moment Engineering in Perovskite Solar Cells

The performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is critically dependent on the quality of interfaces and grain boundaries, which often lead to nonradiative recombination losses, degradation, and inefficient charge transport. Here, we introduce an asymmetric bulky cation with a dipole moment (2.48 Debye), 4‐methoxyphenethylammonium bromide (MPB), at the perovskite/hole transport layer (HTL) interface in planar (n‐i‐p) PSCs. The MPB provides dual functionality, not only as a defect passivation agent for undercoordinated Pb 2+ but also improving charge extraction at the perovskite/HTL interface. The MPB‐passivated PSCs exhibit enhanced crystallinity and an increase in hole‐carrier diffusion length (from 540 to 770 nm). We quantitatively attributed the built‐in potential increase (from 1.09 ± 0.01 to 1.12 ± 0.01 V) to a larger charge‐carrier driving force in MPB‐treated devices, as determined by Mott–Schottky analysis. The optimized PSCs achieve a higher power‐conversion efficiency (PCE) of 22.7% compared to the control device (PCE of 21.5%). Consequently, the MPB‐treated device retained 80% of its initial PCE, compared with 60% for the control, under standard illumination, ~35% relative humidity (RH), and a temperature of ~45 °C after 2000 s. This work provides valuable insights into defect passivation through dipole‐assisted molecular interface engineering, which enhances charge extraction and overall device performance, offering a pathway for high‐efficiency PSCs.

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Publication Details

Journal
Small Science
Published
2026-08-26
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/smsc.70369
Primary Topic
Perovskite Materials and Applications
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Interfacial Defect Passivation by Molecular Dipole‐Moment Engineering in Perovskite Solar Cells

Chittaranjan Das, Weiwei Zuo, José J. Jerónimo-Rendon, Mayank Kedia et al.
Small Science
Perovskite Materials and Applications
article

Interfacial Defect Passivation by Molecular Dipole‐Moment Engineering in Perovskite Solar Cells

Chittaranjan Das, Weiwei Zuo, José J. Jerónimo-Rendon, Mayank Kedia, Bettina Valeska Lotsch, Asfaw Negash, Michael Saliba, Goutam Paul, Somayeh Gholipour, Stefan A. L. Weber, Roberto Félix, Seyma Topcu, Yunshan Wang, Jonathan L. Adamu
article en

Abstract

The performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is critically dependent on the quality of interfaces and grain boundaries, which often lead to nonradiative recombination losses, degradation, and inefficient charge transport. Here, we introduce an asymmetric bulky cation with a dipole moment (2.48 Debye), 4‐methoxyphenethylammonium bromide (MPB), at the perovskite/hole transport layer (HTL) interface in planar (n‐i‐p) PSCs. The MPB provides dual functionality, not only as a defect passivation agent for undercoordinated Pb 2+ but also improving charge extraction at the perovskite/HTL interface. The MPB‐passivated PSCs exhibit enhanced crystallinity and an increase in hole‐carrier diffusion length (from 540 to 770 nm). We quantitatively attributed the built‐in potential increase (from 1.09 ± 0.01 to 1.12 ± 0.01 V) to a larger charge‐carrier driving force in MPB‐treated devices, as determined by Mott–Schottky analysis. The optimized PSCs achieve a higher power‐conversion efficiency (PCE) of 22.7% compared to the control device (PCE of 21.5%). Consequently, the MPB‐treated device retained 80% of its initial PCE, compared with 60% for the control, under standard illumination, ~35% relative humidity (RH), and a temperature of ~45 °C after 2000 s. This work provides valuable insights into defect passivation through dipole‐assisted molecular interface engineering, which enhances charge extraction and overall device performance, offering a pathway for high‐efficiency PSCs.

Small ScienceVol. 6(9)
Forschungszentrum Jülich (DE), Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (DE), Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research (DE), Center for Integrated Quantum Science and Technology (DE)
Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung, European Commission, Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme, Petroleum Technology Development Fund
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 19%
Perovskite Materials and Applications
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