Heterogeneous lead iodide obtains perovskite solar cells with efficiency of 24.27

[Display omitted] •A novel heterogeneous lead iodide, exhibiting two (001) interplanar distances of 6.9 Å and 9.0 Å, was constructed.•The heterogeneous structure can regulate the crystallization process of PbI2 and perovskite films.•The VOC and PCE were raised to 1.21 V and 24.24%. At present, the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) has exceeded 25%, which exhibits great potential for commercial applications. Obtaining pinhole-free, superior crystal, and high-quality perovskite films with fewer defects by adjusting the lead iodide (PbI2) intermediate films in a two-step sequential deposition has become research arousing general interest. Herein, a heterogeneous lead iodide (HLI) structure with two (001) interplanar distances (9.0 Å and 6.9 Å), can optimize the crystallization process of perovskite to get better surface morphology and is constructed by intercalated choline chloride (a kind of vitamin B4, VB4). HLI simultaneously improves the carrier lifetime of perovskite film from 1.96 µs to 3.28 µs and reduces defect state density. Together with better morphology and lower defect state density, the open circuit voltage (VOC) and PCE based on (FAPbI3)0.97(MAPbBr3)0.03 is significantly boosted. In addition, with double-sided modification, HLI produces an excellent PCE of 24.27% with a VOC of 1.21 V. We believe that the novel heterogeneous PbI2 structure could be a generic method to improve the efficiency of PSCs.