Simple Processing Additive-Driven 20% Efficiency for Inverted Planar Heterojunction Perovskite Solar Cells

Compositional engineering has been a strong tool to improve the quality of the perovskite materials and, in turn, the reproducibility of the solar cells. However, the control over the active layer uniformity, one of the most important requirements for the obtainment of efficient devices, is still a weak point of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) manufacturing. Here, we develop an approach to grow a uniform mixed cation perovskite layer, foreseeing its implementation in inverted solar cells endowing organic transporting layers, through the addition of a stoiochiometric amount of tropolone as chelating agent for the lead. Thanks to low melting and boiling temperatures, tropolone is present in the system only during the colloidal liquid phase, leaving the film during its formation; this unique characteristic promotes the obtainment of ideal perovskite surface morphologies and an increased short circuit current of photovoltaic devices. A maximum power conversion efficiency of 20% was obtained, with a 25% increase with respect to the reference.