A comparative study of surface passivation of p-i-n perovskite solar cells by phenethylammonium iodide and 4-fluorophenethylammonium iodide for efficient and practical perovskite solar cells with long-term reliability

Passivation of the defective surface in perovskite absorber layers effectively stabilizes the photovoltaic performance and electronic properties of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). We herein investigated the passivating effects of phenethylammonium iodide (PEAI) and 4-fluorophenethylammonium iodide (F-PEAI) on perovskite absorber layers comparatively, analyzing their impact on morphological, optical, and electrical properties of perovskite absorbers. Both passivation molecules significantly improved film characteristics, with enlarged domain size, uniform surface morphologies, and prolonged carrier lifetime observed in polycrystalline perovskite absorbers. Notably, non-fluorinated PEAI demonstrated superior effectiveness in reducing tail states and defective Pb2+ sites, resulting in more stable absorbers with fewer defects. The passivated perovskite absorbers exhibited higher champion efficiencies (22.07% for PEAI and 20.56% for F-PEAI) compared to control devices (19.53%), attributed to the suppression of interfacial nonradiative recombination and reduction in recombination energy losses. The devices with passivated perovskite absorbers also demonstrated promising indoor photovoltaic performance, achieving an efficiency of 39.04% and 37.02% under dim-light conditions (LED, 6500 K, 1000 Lux), compared to 29.43% in the control device. Importantly, the passivated absorbers maintained 94% of their initial efficiency even after 1250 hours of humidity aging, indicating enhanced hydrophobicity and reduced trap states, resulting in good ambient stability. Our findings highlight the effectiveness of passivation techniques using organic ammonium halide salts in improving the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells.