Amidination of Ligands for Chemical and Field-Effect Passivation Stabilizes Perovskite Solar Cells

Surface passivation has driven the rapid increase in the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, state-of-the-art surface passivation techniques rely on ammonium ligands that suffer deprotonation under light and thermal stress. We developed a library of amidinium ligands, of interest for their resonance-effect-enhanced N-H bonds that may resist deprotonation, to increase the thermal stability of passivation layers on perovskite surfaces. This strategy resulted in an over tenfold reduction in the ligand deprotonation equilibrium constant and a twofold increase in the maintenance of photoluminescence quantum yield after aging at 85°C under illumination in air. Implementing this approach, we achieved a certified quasi-steady-state PCE of 26.3% for inverted PSCs; and we report retention of ≥ 90% PCE after 1100 hours of continuous one-sun maximum power point operation at 85°C, the best combination of efficiency and stability.