Abstract
Metal halide perovskites with remarkable optoelectronic properties have become a competitive candidate for supporting the efficiency progression of photovoltaics. As the latest reported power conversion efficiency of research cells is comparable to that of commercialized silicon cells1,2,3, the industrialization of perovskite solar cells is on the horizon4,5. However, most high-efficiency inverted perovskite solar cells based on self-assembled molecules (SAMs) face challenges owing to the aggregation and hydrophobicity of the SAMs. Here we report a ‘SAM-in-matrix’ strategy to distribute partial SAMs into a stable matrix of tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane, which breaks the original molecular-stacking-induced aggregation. Two-dimensional lattice Monte Carlo simulations and experimental results reveal that this strategy forms efficient charge transport channels. SAM-in-matrix hole-transport-layer-based devices show universally higher efficiencies for various SAMs, with compact surface coverage, good conductivity and substantially fewer buried nanovoids. Moreover, this strategy shows prominent application potential for scalable production. A SAM-in-matrix hole transport layer on fluorine-doped tin oxide/NiOx substrate facilitates the formation of large-area perovskite films with good crystalline quality and enhanced conductivity of NiOx. A 1 m × 2 m large-area perovskite solar module is thus achieved with a certified efficiency of 20.05%.
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The data that support the findings of this study are available in the paper and its Supplementary Information. Source data are available from the corresponding authors upon request.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC, grant nos. 22025505, 22220102002, 22522903, 52203334, 22479098 and 52403330), the Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai (grant nos. 23ZR1432300 and 23ZR1428000), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (grant nos. 2024M761964 and GZB20250060) and the Oceanic Interdisciplinary Program of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (grant no. SL2022ZD105). We thank the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility for the assistance with the GIWAXS measurements. We thank the Instrumental Analysis Centers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and School of Environmental Science and Engineering for assistance with the material characterizations. We thank B. Dai for the assistance with the ssNMR measurements.
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Y. Zhao, Y. Chen, Y.M. and Y.G. designed and directed the research. Y. Liang, Yao Wang and Y. Zou carried out the fabrication and characterization of the perovskite films and PSCs. G.C., K.M., C.Z. and C.O. assisted with the fabrication of large modules. M.F., T.Z., R.X. and Y. Lou assisted with the modification of the PSCs. Yanming Wang, Y. Cho, Y. Chang and T.L. performed the theoretical calculations. Y. Liang carried out the AFM and photoluminescence mapping measurements and data analysis. B.L. participated in the SEM, HRTEM and time-of-flight secondary-ion mass spectrometry characterizations and data analysis. L.L. and N.Z. performed the time-resolved photoluminescence and photoluminescence quantum yield measurements. Y. Zhao, Y. Chen, Y.M., Y.G., Y. Liang, Yao Wang and Y. Zou wrote the paper with input from all authors.
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Liang, Y., Chen, G., Wang, Y. et al. A matrix-confined molecular layer for perovskite photovoltaic modules. Nature 648, 91–96 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09785-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09785-3
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