Dissolved-Cl2 triggered redox reaction enables high-performance perovskite solar cells

Abstract

Constructing 2D/3D perovskite heterojunctions is effective for the surface passivation of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, previous reports that studying perovskite post-treatment only physically deposits 2D perovskite on the 3D perovskite, and the bulk 3D perovskite remains defective. Herein, we propose Cl₂-dissolved chloroform as a multifunctional solvent for concurrently constructing 2D/3D perovskite heterojunction and inducing the secondary growth of the bulk grains. The mechanism of how Cl₂ affects the performance of PSCs is clarified. Specifically, the dissolved Cl₂ reacts with the 3D perovskite, leading to Cl/I ionic exchange and Ostwald ripening of the bulk grains. The generated Cl^- further diffuses to passivate the bulk crystal and buried interface of PSCs. Hexylammonium bromide dissolved in the solvent reacts with the residual PbI₂ to form 2D/3D heterojunctions on the surface. As a result, we achieved high-performance PSCs with a champion efficiency of 24.21% and substantially improved thermal, ambient, and operational stability.