Crown Ethers with Different Cavity Diameters Inhibit Ion Migration and Passivate Defects toward Efficient and Stable Lead Halide Perovskite Solar Cells

Organic–inorganic hybrid metal halide perovskite solar cells have been considered as one of the most promising next-generation photovoltaic technologies. Nevertheless, perovskite defects and Li+ ionic migration will seriously affect the power conversion efficiency and stability of the formal device. Herein, we designed two crown ether derivatives (PC12 and PC15) with different cavity diameters, which selectively bind to different metal cations. It is found that PC15 in perovskite precursor solution can actively regulate the nucleation and crystallization processes and passivate the uncoordinated Pb2+ ions, while PC12 at the interface between the perovskite layer and hole-transporting layer can effectively inhibit the migration of Li+ ions and reduce nonradiative recombination losses. Therefore, PC12 and PC15 can act as "lubricant" and defect passivators, as well as inhibitors of ion migration, when they are synergistically applied at the surface and bulk of perovskite layer. Consequently, the optimized device achieved a champion efficiency of 24.8% with significantly improved humidity, thermal, and light stability.