Interfacial Energy Level Tuning for Efficient and Thermostable CsPbI₂Br Perovskite Solar Cells

Inorganic mixed-halide CsPbX₃-based perovskite solar cells (PeSCs) are emerging as one of the most promising types of PeSCs on account of their thermostability compared to organic-inorganic hybrid counterparts. However, dissatisfactory device performance and high processing temperature impede their development for viable applications. Herein, a facile route is presented for tuning the energy levels and electrical properties of sol-gel-derived ZnO electron transport material (ETM) via the doping of a classical alkali metal carbonate Cs₂CO₃. Compared to bare ZnO, Cs₂CO₃-doped ZnO possesses more favorable interface energetics in contact with the CsPbI₂Br perovskite layer, which can reduce the ohmic loss to a negligible level. The optimized PeSCs achieve an improved open-circuit voltage of 1.28 V, together with an increase in fill factor and short-circuit current. The optimized power conversion efficiencies of 16.42% and 14.82% are realized on rigid glass substrate and flexible plastic substrate, respectively. A high thermostability can be simultaneously obtained via defect passivation at the Cs₂CO₃-doped ZnO/CsPbI₂Br interface, and 81% of the initial efficiency is retained after aging for 200 h at 85 °C.