journal article·2026-03Open access

Tailored Monolayer Co‐Assembly for Enhanced Efficiency and Stability in Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells

Fen Xia, Shuwen Yang, Xiaolin Liu, Jing Zhang, Jun Yin, Jing Li, Zhaohui Wang, Song Tu, Binghui Wu, Nanfeng Zheng

Advanced Science· Volume 13· Issue 14

Abstract

ABSTRACT Self‐assembled monolayers (SAMs) are extensively employed as hole‐selective interlayers in inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs), yet their incomplete coverage and poor molecular ordering often induce interfacial defects and exacerbate non‐radiative recombination. To overcome these limitations, we developed a bulky methylthio‐functionalized carbazole‐based SAM, (2‐(3,6‐bis(bis(4‐(methylthio)phenyl)amino)‐9 H ‐carbazol‐9‐yl)ethyl)phosphonic acid (S‐2PACz), and implemented a sequential co‐assembly strategy utilizing cysteine (Cys). In this tailored architecture, Cys is pre‐anchored via carboxyl groups, followed by the competitive adsorption of S‐2PACz via phosphonic acid anchoring, yielding a mixed Cys‐S‐2PACz monolayer. The size complementarity and cooperative anchoring facilitated denser molecular packing and improved ordering, while synergistic methylthio and thiol functionalities jointly passivated interfacial defects. Consequently, this strategy enhanced perovskite crystallization, optimized energy‐level alignment, and facilitated efficient hole extraction. Ultimately, PSCs incorporating Cys‐S‐2PACz achieved higher power conversion efficiency, reduced recombination losses, and demonstrated superior thermal, operational, and outdoor stability compared with devices based on single‐component SAMs. This work establishes competitive co‐assembly as an effective interfacial engineering strategy, providing a scalable route to tailored SAM architectures for high‐performance and durable p–i–n PSCs.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Perovskite Materials and Applications · Organic Electronics and Photovoltaics · Organic Light-Emitting Diodes Research

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Affiliations

State Key Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM) National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Preparation Technology of Nanomaterials College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Pen‐Tung Sah Institute of Micro‐Nano Science and Technology Innovation Laboratory For Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM) Xiamen University Xiamen China

Funding

National Key Research and Development Program of China

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