How crystallization additives govern halide perovskite grain growth
(2025) In Nature Communications 16(1).- Abstract
The preparation of perovskite solar cells from the liquid phase is a cornerstone of their immense potential. However, a clear relationship between the precursor ink and the formation of the resulting perovskite is missing. Established theories, such as heterogeneous nucleation and lead complex colloid formation, often prove unreliable, which has led to an overreliance on heuristics. Most high-performing perovskites use additives to control crystallization. Their role during crystallization is, however, elusive. Here, we provide evidence that typical crystallization additives do not predominantly impact the nucleation phase but rather facilitate coarsening grain growth by increasing ion mobility across grain boundaries. Drawing from the... (More)
The preparation of perovskite solar cells from the liquid phase is a cornerstone of their immense potential. However, a clear relationship between the precursor ink and the formation of the resulting perovskite is missing. Established theories, such as heterogeneous nucleation and lead complex colloid formation, often prove unreliable, which has led to an overreliance on heuristics. Most high-performing perovskites use additives to control crystallization. Their role during crystallization is, however, elusive. Here, we provide evidence that typical crystallization additives do not predominantly impact the nucleation phase but rather facilitate coarsening grain growth by increasing ion mobility across grain boundaries. Drawing from the insights of our broad, interdisciplinary study that combines ex and in situ characterization methods, devices, simulations, and density function theory calculation, we propose a concept that proves valid for various additives and perovskite formulations. Moreover, we establish a direct link between additive engineering and perovskite post-processing, offering a unified framework for advancing material design and process engineering.
(Less)
- author
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025-12
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Nature Communications
- volume
- 16
- issue
- 1
- article number
- 9894
- publisher
- Nature Publishing Group
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:41213992
- scopus:105021290179
- ISSN
- 2041-1723
- DOI
- 10.1038/s41467-025-65484-7
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 0d3e9f3c-af99-41f4-861f-0edb0f861065
- date added to LUP
- 2025-12-08 14:35:08
- date last changed
- 2025-12-22 16:56:08
@article{0d3e9f3c-af99-41f4-861f-0edb0f861065,
abstract = {{<p>The preparation of perovskite solar cells from the liquid phase is a cornerstone of their immense potential. However, a clear relationship between the precursor ink and the formation of the resulting perovskite is missing. Established theories, such as heterogeneous nucleation and lead complex colloid formation, often prove unreliable, which has led to an overreliance on heuristics. Most high-performing perovskites use additives to control crystallization. Their role during crystallization is, however, elusive. Here, we provide evidence that typical crystallization additives do not predominantly impact the nucleation phase but rather facilitate coarsening grain growth by increasing ion mobility across grain boundaries. Drawing from the insights of our broad, interdisciplinary study that combines ex and in situ characterization methods, devices, simulations, and density function theory calculation, we propose a concept that proves valid for various additives and perovskite formulations. Moreover, we establish a direct link between additive engineering and perovskite post-processing, offering a unified framework for advancing material design and process engineering.</p>}},
author = {{Maschwitz, Timo and Merten, Lena and Ünlü, Feray and Majewski, Martin and Haddadi Barzoki, Fatemeh and Wu, Zijin and Öz, Seren Dilara and Kreusel, Cedric and Theisen, Manuel and Wang, Pang and Schiffer, Maximilian and Boccarella, Gianluca and Marioth, Gregor and Weidner, Henrik and Schultheis, Sarah and Schieferstein, Tim and Gidaszewski, Dawid and Julliev, Zavkiddin and Kneschaurek, Ekaterina and Munteanu, Valentin and Zaluzhnyy, Ivan and Bertram, Florian and Jaffrès, Anaël and He, Junjie and Ashurov, Nigmat and Stolterfoht, Martin and Wolff, Christian M. and Unger, Eva and Olthof, Selina and Brocks, Geert and Tao, Shuxia and Grüninger, Helen and Ronsin, Olivier J.J. and Harting, Jens and Kotthaus, Andreas F. and Kirsch, Stefan F. and Mathur, Sanjay and Hinderhofer, Alexander and Schreiber, Frank and Riedl, Thomas and Brinkmann, Kai Oliver}},
issn = {{2041-1723}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{1}},
publisher = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
series = {{Nature Communications}},
title = {{How crystallization additives govern halide perovskite grain growth}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-65484-7}},
doi = {{10.1038/s41467-025-65484-7}},
volume = {{16}},
year = {{2025}},
}