Eliminating Texture-Induced Retention of Self-Assembled Monolayer Residues for High-Performance Perovskite Solar Cells.

Authors

Dongmin Lee, Dong Gyu Lee, Jung Geon Son, Minseong Kim, Chang Hyeon Yoon, Jaehwi Lee, Hyungsu Jang, Jongdeuk Seo, Dongshin Kim, Young-Ki Kim, Heunjeong Lee, Seongwon Lee, Jina Roe, Yu Jin Shin, Min Jung Sung, Shinuk Cho, Tae Joo Shin, Jin Young Kim, Yun Seop Shin, Tae Kyung Lee, Dong Suk Kim

Published in

Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany). Pages e75884. Sep 23, 2026. Epub Sep 23, 2026.

Abstract

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) constitute foundational interfacial elements in high-efficiency inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs); however, ensuring chemical and electronic integrity across SAM-modified interfaces remains challenging. Although post-deposition solvent washing has been widely applied to remove loosely bound or aggregated SAM species, its topography-dependent consequences for SAM-modified textured FTO, including retention and solvent-dependent removal, have not been systematically examined. Here, we identify texture-induced retention of π-π-stacked SAM aggregates within nanoscale valleys of FTO, rendering them resistant to conventional alcohol-based washing. To address this limitation, we establish a substrate-informed solvent engineering strategy that balances removal of SAM aggregates with preservation of chemisorbed SAMs. Complementary crystallographic and theoretical analyses reveal that N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) provides the most balanced solvent-SAM interaction window among examined solvents, enabling removal of valley-retained residues while maintaining the chemisorbed SAM interface. The resulting interfacial refinement establishes a homogeneous electrostatic landscape and improved energy alignment at the perovskite/SAM interface, while serving as a uniform growth template for high-quality, strain-relieved perovskite films. Consequently, DMF-washed devices achieve a power conversion efficiency of 26.13% (certified 25.82%) and demonstrate enhanced stability under illumination and thermal stress. These findings highlight substrate-informed solvent washing as a reliable strategy for SAM-based interfacial engineering on textured electrodes.

PMID:
42773952
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 23 Sep 2026.

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