In Situ Formation of Compact PbI2 Shell Boosts the Efficiency and Thermostability of Perovskite Solar Cells.

Judicious tailoring of a robust interlayer is central to maintain the durable operation of optoelectronic devices. In this paper, an ultrathin, compact, and uniform PbI2 shell on the surface of perovskite via the method of ZnI2 aided in situ transformation is produced. The resultant PbI2 interlayer can prolong the excited-state lifetime of perovskite and attenuate the recombination kinetics of separated charges, leading to an improvement of power conversion efficiency up to 22.5% for perovskite solar cells (PSCs) at the AM 1.5G conditions. Moreover, the PSC with PbI2 interlayer exhibits an enhanced thermostability, retaining 87% of initial efficiency after aging at 60 °C for 1000 h.