Monolayer Perovskite Bridges Enable Strong Quantum Dot Coupling for Efficient Solar Cells

Abstract

Solution-processed colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are promising optoelectronic materials; however, CQD solids have, to date, exhibited either excellent transport properties but fusion among CQDs or limited transport when QDs are strongly passivated. Here, we report the growth of monolayer perovskite bridges among quantum dots and show that this enables the union of surface passivation with improved charge transport. We grow the perovskite layer after forming the CQD solid rather than introducing perovskite precursors into the quantum dot solution: the monolayer of perovskite increases interdot coupling and decreases the distance over which carriers must tunnel. As a result, we double the diffusion length relative to reference CQD solids and report solar cells that achieve a stabilized power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 13.8%, a record among Pb chalcogenide CQD solar cells.