Enhanced efficiency and stability in Sn-based perovskite solar cells by trimethylsilyl halide surface passivation

Lead free tin perovskite solar cells (PKSCs) are the most suitable alternative candidate for conventional lead perovskite solar cells. However, the efficiency and the stability are insufficient, mainly because of the poor film quality and numerous defects. Here we introduce an efficient strategy based on a simple trimethylsilyl halide surface passivation to increase the film quality and reduce the defect density. At the same time, a hydrophobic protective layer on the perovskite surface is formed, which enhanced the PKSCs’ stability. The efficiency of the solar cell after the passivation was enhanced from 10.05 % to 12.22% with the improved open-circuit voltage from 0.57 V to 0.70 V. In addition, after 92 days of storage in N2 filled glovebox, the modified T-PKSCs demonstrated high stability maintaining 80% of its initial efficiency. This work provides a simple and widely used strategy to optimize the surface/interface optoelectronic properties of perovskites for giving more efficient and stable solar cells and other optoelectronic devices.