Hasnain Raza†
ab,
Zijin Qiao†ac,
Huanyi Zhoua,
Jiayu Zhengac,
Hui-Ming Chenga and
Zaiwei Wang
*a
aShenzhen Key Laboratory of Energy Materials for Carbon Neutrality, Institute of Technology for Carbon Neutrality, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, P. R. China. E-mail: zw.wang3@siat.ac.cn
bUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
cSouthern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, P. R. China
First published on 11th April 2026
Wide-bandgap lead bromide perovskites are ideal candidates for perovskite solar cells (PSCs) requiring high open-circuit voltages (VOC), particularly as front absorbers in multiple-junction architectures. However, the formation of a photoinactive non-perovskite δ-phase (δ-FAPbBr3) is a critical issue that inhibits the photovoltaic performance of the devices. In this work, we introduce sodium 4-chlorobenzenesulfonate (4Cl-BZS) to inhibit the formation of the δ-phase and release lattice strain, thus preparing perovskite thin films with a pure phase. Consequently, inverted FAPbBr3 solar cells achieve a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 10.57% and a high VOC of 1.63 V, representing one of the best performances for this configuration. Furthermore, unencapsulated devices retain over 90% of their initial efficiency after 1400 h of aging under 50% relative humidity, demonstrating excellent environmental stability.
FAPbBr3 is particularly promising among wide-bandgap (∼2.3 eV) absorbers.21–23 Various strategies have been explored in the recent past in order to improve the performance of FAPbBr3 perovskite solar cells. For example, Xu et al. proposed the use of guanidinium bromide (GABr) to control the crystallization process and to minimize the density of defects in FAPbBr3 films, which led to improved film quality and device performance.24 The surface passivation technique was reported to reduce nonradiative recombination and have an effect on the stability of the FAPbBr3 devices.25 Additionally, Zhu et al. reported a carbazole based self-assembled monolayer at the hole selective interface to improve energy level alignment and charge extraction in FAPbBr3 devices.26
Despite these efforts, FAPbBr3 films suffer from a persistent issue: the spontaneous formation of the δ-phase.24 The photoactive α-phase consists of a three-dimensional corner-sharing [PbBr6]4− octahedral network, whereas the thermodynamically stable δ-phase adopts a non-perovskite, edge-sharing hexagonal structure. This phase impurity severely degrades film crystallinity and introduces non-radiative recombination centers.27,28 Recent research reveals that accumulated lattice strain destabilizes the photoactive structure, directly inducing the transition to the undesirable δ-phase.29–31 Therefore, stress management is crucial for fabricating phase-pure and stable FAPbBr3 films.
In this study, we unveil that the incorporation of 4Cl-BZS effectively mitigates residual tensile strain throughout the film depth. Besides, the 4Cl-BZS additive is verified to chemically anchor onto the perovskite surface through strong coordination interactions of its sulfonate and chlorine functional groups with undercoordinated Pb2+, effectively passivating surface defects. The incorporation of 4Cl-BZS also enlarges the perovskite grain size and plays a pivotal role in facilitating efficient carrier transport while suppressing non-radiative recombination. Consequently, p–i–n based phase pure FAPbBr3 devices using 1 mg mL−1 of 4Cl-BZS were successfully fabricated with a champion efficiency of 10.57% and a VOC of 1.63 V. In addition, the 4Cl-BZS modified devices maintained 90% of their initial efficiency after 1400 hours of ambient storage, suggesting good long-term stability.
In FA based perovskites, the corner sharing perovskite structure is destabilized by residual lattice strain during film growth, which promotes the formation of a non-perovskite δ-phase structure.29,36,37 Specifically, 4Cl-BZS has a molecular length of ∼6.37 Å, which perfectly matches the distance between two adjacent Pb2+ ions (∼6.3 Å) in the perovskite lattice.38 Driven by this dimensional matching, 4Cl-BZS in the crystallization is expected to assist in alleviating the lattice strain of the perovskite phase that ultimately inhibits the formation of the δ-phase and stabilizes the photoactive perovskite structure.29–31 To further validate the mechanism of strain-induced phase stabilization and quantitatively evaluate the residual stress, we performed X-ray diffraction measurements at various sample tilt angles (ψ). Fig. 1b and c show the corresponding XRD peak evolutions for the control and 4Cl-BZS-treated FAPbBr3 films, respectively. As the ψ increases from 10° to 50°, the diffraction peak of the control film shifts noticeably toward lower angles, indicating the presence of substantial tensile strain. In contrast, the 4Cl-BZS-treated film exhibits a much weaker dependence of the peak position on the tilt angle. The slope of the 2θ–sin2
ψ fitting curve served as an estimation of the residual stress release in the perovskite film. As shown in Fig. 1d, the extracted slope for the control film is −0.199, and the 4Cl-BZS-treated film displays a significantly reduced slope to −0.097. According to the equation:
,39 where δR is the residual stress, E is the Young's modulus of perovskites (11.5 GPa), ν is the Poisson's ratio (0.33), and θ0 is half of the scattering angle 2θ0 for stress-free perovskite, the tensile stress values of the control perovskite film and the 4Cl-BZS treated film are calculated to be 51.0 and 24.8 MPa, respectively. This pronounced reduction in residual tensile stress provides evidence that the 4Cl-BZS additive effectively alleviates the lattice strain accumulated during crystallization, which consequently suppresses the strain-induced phase transformation to the undesired δ-phase and stabilizes the photoactive structure.36,40 These observations suggest that the presence of 4Cl-BZS affects the crystallization process, which results in a more homogeneous lattice structure, and offer structural evidence of the proposed mechanism that explains the improved phase stability of the additive treated films. To further quantify the magnitude of the residual strain, a Williamson–Hall (W–H) analysis based on the standard XRD patterns is shown in Fig. S3. The W–H equation is given by
. βhkl is the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the diffraction peak, θ is the Bragg angle, K is the shape factor, λ is the X-ray wavelength, D is the crystallite size, and ε is the strain factor.41 As shown in Fig. S3, the extracted microstrain (ε) of the 4Cl-BZS treated film is significantly reduced to 1.16 × 10−3, compared to 4.32 × 10−3 for the control film. This quantitative reduction firmly substantiates that 4Cl-BZS effectively alleviates the tensile microstrain within the perovskite lattice.
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to examine the chemical environment of FAPbBr3 films on the surface and to examine the interaction between the perovskite and the 4Cl-BZS additive. The high resolution Pb 4f spectra of the control and 4Cl-BZS treated films are presented in Fig. 1b. The two samples have the typical Pb 4f7/2 and Pb 4f5/2 doublet that is related to Pb2+. The Pb 4f peaks of 4Cl-BZS treated films exhibit a shift towards a lower binding energy of approximately 0.2 eV than the control film, indicating effective passivation of undercoordinated Pb sites.42 The interaction between the Cl and Pb on the 4Cl-BZS additive perovskite surface is also confirmed by the Cl 2p XPS spectrum (Fig. 1c), where the Cl 2p peak of the treated film has a slight shift to higher binding energy than that of the pristine 4Cl-BZS. To further corroborate this interaction mechanism, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was conducted (Fig. S4). The characteristic S
O stretching vibrations of 4Cl-BZS at 1349 and 1189 cm−1 exhibit distinct blue shifts to 1355 and 1193 cm−1 upon mixing with PbBr2, confirming the formation of a strong coordination bond between the sulfonate oxygen and Pb2+. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements were further performed to examine the thermal stability of 4Cl-BZS. As shown in Fig. S5, no obvious decomposition occurs below the annealing temperature used for perovskite film formation, indicating that 4Cl-BZS remains stable during the annealing process.
To ascertain the precise spatial distribution of 4Cl-BZS and further elucidate the strain regulation mechanism, Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) depth profiling was conducted, as shown in Fig. 1g. The characteristic ion signals SO3− associated with 4Cl-BZS showed that the 4Cl-BZS molecules are highly concentrated near the top surface of the FAPbBr3 perovskite film, rather than being uniformly distributed in the bulk. During the spin-coating and crystallization process, the top surface undergoes rapid solvent evaporation, making it highly susceptible to the accumulation of severe residual tensile strain. By enriching at this critical upper interface, 4Cl-BZS specifically targets and alleviates the localized tensile strain. Moreover, the ex situ time-dependent XRD patterns were used to investigate the process of tensile strain alleviation. As shown in Fig. 1h, the control film exhibits a prominent diffraction peak at ∼12.5° corresponding to the photoinactive δ-phase immediately upon annealing. This phase impurity persists throughout the entire 12-minute heating process, indicating that the rapid, uncontrolled crystallization kinetically traps the lattice in the undesirable non-perovskite structure. In contrast, the 4Cl-BZS treated film (Fig. 1i) displays a fundamentally different phase evolution. While a trace amount of the δ-phase is initially observed at the 1-minute mark, it is rapidly and completely consumed by the 3-minute mark, yielding a highly crystalline, pure α-phase that remains exceptionally stable thereafter. It is highly plausible that the coordination between 4Cl-BZS and Pb2+ acts as an intermediate-phase regulator during the early heating stage, facilitating the swift structural transition from the δ-phase to the desired corner-sharing α-phase. Ultimately, this modulated crystallization process helps to prevent the accumulation of lattice strain, ensuring a phase-pure perovskite film.
The surface morphology of the FAPbBr3 films with and without the 4Cl-BZS additive was observed using top view scanning electron microscopy (SEM), as shown in Fig. 2a and b. The control film is composed of relatively smaller grains, whereas the film treated with 4Cl-BZS has larger grains with clearly defined grain boundaries. Fig. 2c and d summarize grain size distributions obtained using the SEM images. The average grain size of the control film is about 300.6 nm, but the 4Cl-BZS treated film has a higher average grain size of about 341.4 nm. These results suggest that 4Cl-BZS affects the crystallization of FAPbBr3, which results in a greater growth of grains. Specifically, the impact of 4Cl-BZS on spin crystallization dynamics is clearly visualized in the in situ PL maps. After dropping the anti-solvent, while the control film (Fig. S6a) undergoes a rapid phase transition evidenced by the sharp rise in PL intensity, the addition of 4Cl-BZS (Fig. S6b) results in a prolonged growth window. The time to reach the peak PL intensity is delayed, and the intensity slope is gentler compared to that of the control. This observation aligns well with the intermediate phase mechanism, where the 4Cl-BZS additive regulates the reaction kinetics, suppressing excessive nucleation and promoting orderly crystal growth.40 The optical absorption properties of the FAPbBr3 films were analyzed by measuring the UV-vis absorption spectra. Fig. 2e demonstrates that the control and 4Cl-BZS treated films have a similar absorption profile with a distinct absorption edge, which suggests that the films have a similar light harvesting activity. The 4Cl-BZS treated film exhibits slightly increased intensity of absorption in the visible range as compared to control, indicating that the 4Cl-BZS treated films can generate more charge carriers when exposed to the same light intensity. Tauc plots based on the absorption data were also used to further estimate the optical bandgap (Fig. 2f). The optical bandgap in both films is nearly identical (2.27 eV), which proves that the introduction of 4Cl-BZS does not alter the band structure of FAPbBr3.43
To assess radiative recombination behavior of FAPbBr3 films, steady state photoluminescence (PL) measurements were carried out, as shown in Fig. 3a. The PL intensity of the 4Cl-BZS treated film is much higher than that of the control film, indicating that non-radiative recombination is effectively suppressed in the presence of the additive.44 Time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) measurements (Fig. 3b) reveal a longer average carrier lifetime of the 4Cl-BZS treated film compared to that of the control film. The prolonged carrier lifetime stems from the improved perovskite film quality induced by 4Cl-BZS, which effectively suppresses non-radiative recombination. The TRPL decay profiles are analyzed using a bi-exponential model of fast and slow decay components, with the extracted average carrier lifetime being higher in the case of the 4Cl-BZS treated film (Table S1).
Space charge limited current (SCLC) measurements were employed to quantify the trap states using electron-only ITO/SnOx/perovskite (with or without 4Cl-BZS)/PCBM/Ag. The dark current density–voltage (J–V) curves (Fig. 3c) exhibit the typical transition from the ohmic to the trap-filled limit (TFL) regime. The trap density (Ntrap) was calculated using the equation
45 Upon the incorporation of 4Cl-BZS, the VTFL decreased from 0.56 V to 0.43 V for electron-only devices. Additionally, the electron trap densities Nt of control and 4Cl-BZS devices are 1.87 × 1016 cm−3 and 1.43 × 1016 cm−3, respectively (Table S2). Specifically, the suppression of non-radiative recombination is a synergistic outcome of strain regulation, improved crystallinity, and chemical passivation. By mitigating the lattice strain gradient and passivating defects by 4Cl-BZS, we fundamentally suppress the formation of trap states, thereby minimizing non-radiative recombination and promoting charge transport. Consequently, Mott–Schottky measurements (Fig. S7) show an increased built-in potential (Vbi) from 1.35 V to 1.48 V after 4Cl-BZS treatment, providing a stronger internal electric field to drive charge separation and enhance the VOC.26
Furthermore, the reduced dark saturation current density in the 4Cl-BZS device suggests fewer bulk defects within the perovskite layer and suppressed non-radiative recombination (Fig. 3d).46 These results indicate that the incorporation of 4Cl-BZS effectively mitigates trap-assisted recombination and facilitates charge transport, ultimately contributing to the improved VOC of the modified devices. In order to examine the interfacial charge transfer behavior of the devices, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements were conducted under dark conditions, as shown in Fig. 3e. The results indicate that the device containing 4Cl-BZS has a higher recombination resistance (Rrec) than the control device. The improvement in Rrec with the 4Cl-BZS device is in line with the reduction in trap states, lower charge recombination and better carrier extraction. The recombination characteristics of the devices were also examined by evaluating how open-circuit voltage (VOC) varies with the light intensity (Fig. 3f). The fitting slope of the 4Cl-BZS film is lower compared with that of the control device, 3.49 to 2.08kT/q (where k is the Boltzmann constant, T is the temperature and q is the elementary charge). The lower slope is an indicator of repressed trap assisted recombination in the 4Cl-BZS modified device, which implies that the recombination kinetics are more favorable because of the enhanced defect passivation in the perovskite film.47
We fabricated p–i–n PSCs with a structure of ITO/NiOx/SAM/FAPbBr3(4Cl-BZS)/PCBM/SnOx/Ag(Fig. 4a); the cross-view SEM images of the device with 4Cl-BZS are shown in Fig. S8. Through device optimization, the concentration of 4Cl-BZS was determined to be 1 mg mL−1 (Fig. S9) to achieve the best efficiency. Fig. 4b shows the comparison between the J–V characteristics of the control and the best concentration of 4Cl-BZS treated FAPbBr3 perovskite solar cells under optimized conditions with the photovoltaic parameters. The 4Cl-BZS treated device provides a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of up to 10.57%, along with a VOC of 1.63 V, a short circuit current density (JSC) of 7.76 mA cm−2 and a high fill factor (FF) of 83.73%. As illustrated in Fig. S10, 4Cl-BZS effectively minimized the hysteresis behavior of the devices. The calculated hysteresis factor
decreased from 3.23% for the control to 1.99% for the 4Cl-BZS treated device. This suppression of hysteresis is a direct macroscopic reflection of the improved structural robustness. This reduced hysteresis is mainly due to the improved structural stability of the FAPbBr3 film. By effectively suppressing the yellow phase and relieving the internal strain, 4Cl-BZS makes the perovskite crystal lattice more stable. As a result, ion migration is largely restricted, leading to minimized hysteresis. External quantum efficiency (EQE) spectra of two devices are shown in Fig. 4c. The higher integrated short circuit current density of the 4Cl-BZS treated device is in line with the improved light to current conversion in the J–V characteristics. Statistical analysis of data from 30 individual devices reveals that upon the incorporation of 4Cl-BZS, the average PCE increased from 8.95% to 9.98%, accompanied by significant improvements in VOC, JSC and FF (Fig. 4e and Fig. S11).
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| Fig. 4 (a) Schematic representation of the p–i–n device architecture. (b) AM 1.5G illuminated J–V curves. (c) EQE spectra along with the cumulative current densities. (d) Statistical distribution of the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of control and 4Cl-BZS devices.26,27,48–53 (e) Comparison of the open-circuit voltage (VOC) obtained in this study with that of the devices reported before on the basis of FAPbBr3. (f) Stabilized power output (SPO) at the operating point. | ||
Fig. 4f and Table S3 compare the VOC obtained in this work to previously reported values of FAPbBr3 perovskite solar cells, indicating that the current device performance is among the higher values reported. Fig. 4c demonstrates the steady state power output (SPO) of the control and 4Cl-BZS treated devices at the maximum power point (MPP) over 600 s. The 4Cl-BZS treated film has a stabilized current density of 7.17 mA cm−2, which is greater than that of the control device (6.81 mA cm−2). Also, the treated and control devices are found to have stabilized power conversion efficiencies of 10.33% and 9.20%, respectively, which suggests that the operational stability of the devices improves when 4Cl-BZS is incorporated.
Given that 4Cl-BZS effectively inhibits the formation of the δ-phase, we further investigated its impact on the long-term stability of both the thin films and the corresponding devices. Fig. 5a and b compare the XRD patterns of FAPbBr3 films after 5 days of aging. The control film exhibits a prominent peak corresponding to the δ-phase, indicating significant degradation. In contrast, the 4Cl-BZS treated film suppresses δ-phase formation and retains the crystallinity of the photoactive α-phase, demonstrating superior phase stability. Meanwhile, Fig. 5c illustrates the long-term storage stability of unencapsulated devices under ambient conditions (25 °C, approximately 50% relative humidity). The control device shows a continuous efficiency degradation during aging, which loses over 40% of its original PCE in 1500 h. The 4Cl-BZS treated devices, however, exhibit a significantly slower degradation rate and retain 90% of their original efficiency after the same time. In addition, after 1300 h of storage in an inert N2 atmosphere at 25 °C, the 4Cl-BZS treated device retains nearly 95% of its original efficiency after aging of approximately 1300 h, whereas the control device is able to retain over 80% (Fig. 5d). Fundamentally, the superior long-term stability of the 4Cl-BZS-treated devices is governed by enhanced phase thermodynamics. The effective relief of residual tensile strain inherently eliminates the thermodynamic driving force for the spontaneous α–δ phase transition, thereby preventing the formation of the photoinactive yellow phase. Furthermore, the strong chemical anchoring of 4Cl-BZS at the surfaces and grain boundaries acts as a robust molecular shield, contributing to the excellent moisture tolerance observed during ambient aging.
Additional data are available from the corresponding author upon request.
Footnote |
| † These authors contributed equally. |
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