Modification of NiO Using 2PACz for P-i-n Perovskite Solar Cells

To improve charge transfer and surface contact between NiO and perovskite, sol-gel derived NiO is modified with [2-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)ethyl] phosphonic acid (2PACz) in p-i-n structured perovskite solar cells (PeSCs). The phosphonic acid head group in the 2PACz can bind to the hydroxyl groups on the surface of NiO by a condensation reaction, which results in a bettermatched energy level with the valence band of perovskite layers, reducing nonradiative recombination and energy loss. Furthermore, the formation of pin-hole free perovskite films is observed in the 2PACz modified NiO system. Consequently, the combination of sol-gel processed NiO with optimal 2PACz exhibits a higher efficiency of 17.08% and superior stability under ambient air conditions without any encapsulation, compared to a bare NiO based device showing 13.69%.