Improving Hybrid Tin Halide Films of Lead-Free Perovskite Solar Cells with a Volatile Additive of Dipropyl Sulfide

Lead-free perovskite solar cells with hybrid tin halides (Sn-PVKs) as harvesters have attracted attention with respect to eliminating the contamination of conventional hybrid lead halides. However, Sn-PVK films usually have inferior performance due to rapid crystallization and uncontrollable morphology. Moreover, Sn²⁺ ions suffer from irreversible oxidation that results in self-doping and device instability. Additive engineering is a key strategy for improving the quality of Sn-PVK films, but solid residues of additives could degrade the transport-recombination process. In this work, dipropyl sulfide (DPS) was introduced as a volatile additive into the precursor solution, and no residue exists in the Sn-PVK films after thermal annealing. The coordinating ability of DPS molecules stabilized Sn²⁺ ions to form the intermediate complex, which retards the crystallization and oxidation of Sn-PVK films. Consequently, the power conversion efficiencies of devices increase from 11.0% to 12.9% with less recombination and a lower leakage current, and the stability of the devices is improved simultaneously.