Enhancing efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells via DB24C8 dual-sided passivation at the ETL/PVSK interface

This study demonstrates the effectiveness of Dibenzo-24-crown-8 (DB24C8) as a passivation agent at the interface between the electron transport layer (ETL) and perovskite (PVSK) layer in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). By optimizing the surface morphology of the SnO₂ in the ETL, DB24C8 reduces interfacial defects, lowers leakage current, and enhances the wettability of the ETL, resulting in improved nucleation and crystallinity of the PVSK film. Within the PVSK layer, DB24C8 increases grain size and reduces grain boundary defects and trap states, as confirmed by photoluminescence (PL) and time-resolved photoluminescence (TR-PL) measurements. Optimizing DB24C8 concentration at 3 mM raises the power conversion efficiency (PCE) from 16.72 % to 20.53 %, with improvements in open-circuit voltage (Voc), short-circuit current density (Jsc), and fill factor (FF). Furthermore, the dual-sided passivation of DB24C8 enhances the long-term stability of devices, maintaining over 80 % of initial efficiency after 1500 h under unencapsulated conditions. These findings suggest that DB24C8 significantly improves both performance and environmental stability, making it a promising candidate for the commercial application of PSCs.