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Nanoscale amorphization of poly(triarylamine) for efficient and stable inverted perovskite photovoltaics

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Zhongjin ShenORCiD, Professor Marina FreitagORCiD

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Abstract

© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited 2026.Perovskite solar modules require hole-selective layers that combine efficient charge extraction, interfacial uniformity and scalable processing. Poly(triarylamine) (PTAA) is widely used in high-performance inverted perovskite photovoltaics, but its nanoscale crystallization and aggregation on indium tin oxide can disrupt film continuity, increase interfacial recombination and limit module stability. Here we show that 4-fluorobenzylphosphonic acid (4FBPA) modifies the surface of indium tin oxide to induce nanoscale amorphization of PTAA, forming a uniform sub-10-nm hole-selective layer. The molecule binds to indium tin oxide through a dehydration reaction, tunes the work function and surface free energy of the photoanode, and improves energy-level alignment with PTAA. The resulting amorphous PTAA film shows enhanced conductivity and hole extraction, suppresses non-radiative recombination at the buried interface and promotes more uniform perovskite growth. Inverted perovskite solar cells reach a power conversion efficiency of 26.63%, while blade-coated modules achieve a certified quasi-steady-state efficiency of 23.01%. The modules retain 95.9% of their initial efficiency after 2,600 hours of maximum-power-point operation under 1-sun illumination at 65 ± 5 °C in nitrogen. These results identify nanoscale amorphization of polymeric hole-selective layers as a route to efficient and stable inverted perovskite photovoltaics.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Zhu H, Shao B, Shen Z, Yin J, Zhang S, Zhou R, Hedhili MN, Yuan Y, Wang Q, Gutierrez-Arzaluz L, Abulikemu M, Jamal A, Gereige I, Freitag M, Mohammed OF, You S, Zhu K, Bakr OM

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Nature Nanotechnology

Year: 2026

Pages: Epub ahead of print

Online publication date: 01/07/2026

Acceptance date: 14/05/2026

ISSN (print): 1748-3387

ISSN (electronic): 1748-3395

Publisher: Nature Research

URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-026-02207-z

DOI: 10.1038/s41565-026-02207-z

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