Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to main content

Synergistic Molecular Stacking in an Asymmetric Self-Assembled Bilayer for Universally Elevating the Performance of Perovskite Photovoltaics

  • Chunhua Hu
  • , Jianzha Zheng
  • , Wenlin Jiang
  • , Qian Liu
  • , Ruiquan Liang
  • , Yang Li*
  • , Yiwen Wang*
  • , Yaohua Mai
  • *Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review

Abstract

Perovskite photovoltaics have demonstrated remarkable progress in power conversion efficiency, showing great potential for broad applications. However, interfacial issues such as energy-level mismatch and defect density remain key challenges that limit device performance. To address the rigid energy levels and inhomogeneous coverage of conventional symmetric self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), we present an asymmetric self-assembled bilayer strategy. In this design, a bottom CbzBF SAM is anchored to the ITO substrate to optimize energy-level alignment for hole extraction, while a top CbzBT SAM simultaneously passivates interfacial defects and modulates perovskite crystallization. As a result, single-junction perovskite photovoltaics (PPVs) with a bandgap of 1.68 eV attain power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 22.86% with a high fill factor (FF) of 86.54% under standard AM1.5G illumination, along with 43.88% PCE under 1000 lx indoor LED lighting. Critically, the CbzBF/CbzBT bilayer enabled fill factors over 85% in PPVs with bandgaps of 1.65, 1.72, and 1.75 eV, ranking among the highest reported values and underscoring its exceptional universality. Moreover, our two-terminal perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells reached a PCE of 30.69%. This study presents a practical and effective interfacial design strategy toward high-performance perovskite photovoltaics.

© 2026 American Chemical Society
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1885–1893
Number of pages9
JournalACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Volume18
Issue number1
Online published5 Jan 2026
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 14 Jan 2026

Funding

Y.W. acknowledges the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Young Scientists Fund (62405113), the Guangzhou Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (SL2024A04J00418), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (21625341). Y.L. acknowledges the Guangdong Key Field R&D Program (2019B010132004).

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  1. SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy
    SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy

Research Keywords

  • asymmetric bilayer
  • sequential deposition
  • wide-bandgap perovskites
  • high fill factor
  • tandemsolar cells

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Synergistic Molecular Stacking in an Asymmetric Self-Assembled Bilayer for Universally Elevating the Performance of Perovskite Photovoltaics'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this