Defect Passivation Techniques in Perovskite Solar Cells

Perovskite solar cells have emerged as a transformative photovoltaic technology owing to their exceptional light‐harvesting capabilities and facile solution processing. However, intrinsic and extrinsic defects—such as halide vacancies, undercoordinated lead sites and grain‐boundary trap states—undermine both power conversion efficiency and long‐term stability. Defect passivation strategies seek to neutralise these electronic traps through chemical or physical means. Additive engineering introduces small molecules or ions into the precursor to bind uncoordinated sites and suppress non‐radiative carrier recombination. Surface and interface treatments employ Lewis acids, bases or inorganic layers to form protective coatings that inhibit environmental degradation. More recently, gas-phase treatments and polymer-nanoparticle incorporations have offered non-destructive routes to reinforce both the upper and lower interfaces of the perovskite film. Collectively, these approaches can elevate carrier lifetimes, reduce hysteresis and prolong operational durability, bringing perovskite photovoltaics closer to commercial viability.

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Defect Passivation Techniques in Perovskite Solar Cells publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in defect passivation techniques in perovskite solar cells across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Defect passivation: Chemical or physical modification of a semiconductor to neutralise electronic trap states that cause non-radiative recombination.

Non-radiative recombination: The process by which photogenerated carriers lose energy to vibrations rather than emitting photons, reducing device efficiency.

Vacancy defect: A missing atom or ion in the crystal lattice that can trap charge carriers and act as a recombination centre.

Grain boundary: The interface between crystalline domains in a polycrystalline film where defect density and trap states are typically elevated.

Lewis acid–base chemistry: Interaction in which electron-pair donors (bases) bind to electron-pair acceptors (acids), often employed to passivate undercoordinated metal ions.

References

1. Improving the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells using π-conjugated aromatic additives with differing hydrophobicities. Energy & Environmental Science (2023).
2. Gas Molecule Assisted All‐Inorganic Dual‐Interface Passivation Strategy for High‐Performance Perovskite Solar Cells. Advanced Science (2024).
3. Film-forming polymer nanoparticle strategy for improving the passivation and stability of perovskite solar cells. Energy & Environmental Science (2024).
4. Defects and Defect Passivation in Perovskite Solar Cells. Molecules (2024).