Decylammonium sulfate post-treatment for efficient hole-conductor-free printable perovskite solar cells with reduced voltage loss

Abstract Hole-conductor-free printable mesoscopic perovskite solar cells (p-MPSCs) have attracted widespread attention for their low cost, up-scalability, and exceptional stability. However, the high defect density of perovskite and the absence of interfacial barrier layer between perovskite and carbon electrode cause profound open-circuit voltage (VOC) loss, which results in uncompetitive power conversion efficiency (PCE). Herein, an anion-cation synergy of decylammonium sulfate (DA2SO4) is utilized for suppressing VOC loss of p-MPSCs via a facile post-treatment method. DA+ cations transform the perovskite adjacent to carbon electrode into wide-bandgap 2D perovskite for blocking electrons, while the SO42− anions interact with undercoordinated lead centers for reducing defect density. As a result, the modified device delivers an enhanced PCE from 17.78–19.59%, with an improved VOC from 0.98 V to 1.06 V. Meanwhile, the modified device without any encapsulation exhibits excellent moisture stability with the PCE remained almost 99% of the initial value after 528 h aging in 75% RH air at room temperature.