Angew, City University of Hong Kong: Tuning the perovskite surface energy via a tunable ferrocene interlayer to achieve high-performance perovskite solar cells

2025/8/30 9:13:37 admin 阅读 148【次】

The team of Zeng Xiaocheng & Zhu Zonglong from City University of Hong Kong and Nicholas J. Long from Imperial College London published a research paper titled "Modulating Perovskite Surface Energetics Through Tuneable Ferrocene Interlayers for High-Performance Perovskite Solar Cells" in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition. Francesco Vanin is the first author, and Zeng Xiaocheng & Zhu Zonglong & Nicholas J. Long are co-corresponding authors.

Key highlights: This paper develops a multifunctional interlayer based on ferrocene (Fc) that exhibits tunable passivation and electrochemical properties. The key relationship between the highest occupied molecular orbital energy (EHOMO) of the Fc compound and the perovskite valence band maximum (EVBM) is revealed. Notably, the conformationally flexible and more easily oxidized ferrocenyl-bisfuran-2-carboxylate (2) was found to be more effective in binding to under-coordinated Pb2+ surface sites and modulating the interface energy, thereby enabling the inverted perovskite solar cell to achieve a championship efficiency of 25.16%.

Rational control of chemical and energetic properties at the perovskite/electron transport layer (ETL) interface is crucial for achieving efficient and stable next-generation inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, a strategy for directly controlling the WF properties of the perovskite surface through rational synthetic tuning while simultaneously achieving robust chemical passivation remains lacking.

To address this issue, the Xiamen University team of Chen Mengyu, Huang Kai, and Li Cheng developed multifunctional ferrocene (Fc)-based interlayers engineered to exhibit tunable passivation and electrochemical properties. These interlayers are designed to minimize nonradiative recombination and modulate the work function (WF) and uniformity of the perovskite surface, thereby enhancing device performance. They revealed a key relationship between the highest occupied molecular orbital energy (EHOMO) of the Fc compound and the perovskite valence band maximum (EVBM). This relationship is crucial for controlling band bending and optimizing charge extraction. Notably, the conformationally flexible and more readily oxidizable ferrocenyl-bisfuran-2-carboxylate (2) was found to more effectively bind to under-coordinated Pb2+ surface sites and modulate the interface energy, enabling inverted perovskite solar cells to achieve a championship efficiency of 25.16%. These cells also exhibited excellent stability, retaining over 92% of their initial efficiency after 1,000 hours of operation at the maximum power point at 65°C.

This study uses synthesizable Fc-based compounds to rationally tailor the electronic surface properties of perovskite layers. By correlating a widely tunable Fc-EHOMO with a reduced and homogenized perovskite surface WF, we advance our understanding of ferrocenium-based interlayers and open new avenues for their application in high-efficiency solar technologies.

Source：https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202424041

新闻资讯

Angew, City University of Hong Kong: Tuning the perovskite surface energy via a tunable ferrocene interlayer to achieve high-performance perovskite solar cells

联系我们