Hydrophobic stabilizer-anchored fully inorganic perovskite quantum dots enhance moisture resistance and photovoltaic performance

Advances in surface chemistry and manipulation of fully inorganic CsPbI3 perovskite quantum dots (CsPbI3-QDs) have enabled improving the charge transport and photovoltaic performance of CsPbI3-QD thin films by replacing their native long-chain, insulating ligands with short-chain ligands. However, the conventional approach based on formamidinium (FA) replacement removes the hydrophobic protective layer, opening the path for moisture penetration and resulting in poor device stability. We demonstrate that short-chain and hydrophobic phenethylammonium (PEA) cations, instead of FA, are efficiently incorporated only onto CsPbI3-QD surfaces, confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared, H nuclear magnetic resonance and density functional theory calculations. PEA incorporation leads simultaneously to improved photovoltaic performance and moisture stability of resultant CsPbI3-QDs without any change in size, fully inorganic composition, and dimensionality of CsPbI3-QDs. Therefore, PEA-incorporated CsPbI3-QD solar cells show a high device power conversion efficiency of 14.1% and high moisture stability, retaining over 90% of the initial performance after 15 days under ambient conditions. Aromatic ring-based phenethylammonium is incorporated into CsPbI3 quantum dots (CsPbI3-QDs) by removing their native and insulating oleylammonium ligands. This approach simultaneously improves photovoltaic performance and cubic-phase stability of CsPbI3-QD solids under ambient moisture conditions up to 15 days. Thus, CsPbI3-QD solar cells show efficient device performance of 14.1% power conversion efficiency with improved device ambient stability. [Display omitted] •Long-chain, insulating OLA ligands of CsPbI3-QDs are exchanged to short-chain, hydrophobic PEA cations.•This strategy enables improved both charge transport and moisture stability of CsPbI3-QDs.•PEA incorporations show no changes in size, composition and dimensionality of fully inorganic CsPbI3-QDs.•PEA-incorporated CsPbI3-QD solar cells show improved device performance up to 14.1% PCE.•Initial PCE of PEA-incorporated CsPbI3-QD solar cells retained over 90% for 15 days under ambient conditions.