Two-Step Thermal Annealing: An Effective Route for 15 % Efficient Quasi-2D Perovskite Solar Cells

Low-dimensional perovskites (LDP) are nowadays recognized as promising materials for the realization of highly performing photovoltaic cells. However, issues related to film morphology, composition, crystal quality and material homogeneity limit the device performances and reproducibility. In this work, we implement a robust method for the deposition of a LDP mixing methylammonium (MA) and phenylethylammonium (PEA) cations to create the mixed system (PEA)₂ MA₃₉ Pb₄₀ I₁₂₁ by using a two-step thermal annealing treatment (at 60 and 100 °C). Our approach results in LDP films with high crystal quality and enhanced carrier lifetime, which double the power conversion efficiency of reference devices, reaching up to 15 %.