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Vol. 18 (2026)

One-Step Formation of 2D/3D Perovskite Heterojunction via Ligand Intercalation and Facet Engineering for Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-02058-8
Drajad Satrio Utomo
Physical Science and Engineering (PSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955‑6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Yanping Liu
School of Science and Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518172, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China
Andi Muhammad Risqi
School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), 50 UNIST‑Gil, Eonyang‑Eup, Ulju‑Gun, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
Mohammed Ghadiyali
Physical Science and Engineering (PSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955‑6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Imil Fadli Imran
Physical Science and Engineering (PSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955‑6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Rakesh Rosan Pradhan
Physical Science and Engineering (PSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955‑6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Shynggys Zhumagali
Physical Science and Engineering (PSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955‑6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Sofiia Kosar
Physical Science and Engineering (PSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955‑6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Vladyslav Hnapovskyi
Physical Science and Engineering (PSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955‑6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Christopher E. Petoukhoff
Center for Renewable Energy and Storage Technologies (CREST), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), 23955‑6900 Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
Hao Tian
Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201, People’s Republic of China
Xiaoming Chang
Physical Science and Engineering (PSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955‑6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Badri Vishal
Center for Renewable Energy and Storage Technologies (CREST), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), 23955‑6900 Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
Adi Prasetio
Physical Science and Engineering (PSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955‑6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Anil Reddy Pininti
Physical Science and Engineering (PSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955‑6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Marco Marengo
Physical Science and Engineering (PSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955‑6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Ahmed Ali Said
Physical Science and Engineering (PSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955‑6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Aleksandra Oranskaia
Physical Science and Engineering (PSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955‑6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Jongbeom Kim
School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), 50 UNIST‑Gil, Eonyang‑Eup, Ulju‑Gun, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
Chuanxiao Xiao
Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201, People’s Republic of China
Frédéric Laquai
Physical Science and Engineering (PSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955‑6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Thomas D. Anthopoulos
Physical Science and Engineering (PSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955‑6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Udo Schwingenschlögl
Physical Science and Engineering (PSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955‑6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Sang Il Seok
School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), 50 UNIST‑Gil, Eonyang‑Eup, Ulju‑Gun, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
Randi Azmi
Physical Science and Engineering (PSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955‑6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Stefaan De Wolf
Physical Science and Engineering (PSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955‑6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Corresponding Author: Stefaan De Wolf

stefaan.dewolf@kaust.edu.sa

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 18 (2026), Article Number: 240

Abstract

Two-dimensional/three-dimensional (2D/3D) perovskite heterojunctions at the contact interfaces have been proven to enhance the stability and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The 2D/3D bilayer is typically formed via a solution post-treatment onto the 3D perovskite, where the 2D layer’s dimensionality depends on the ligand size and its reactivity. Despite their stability, long-chain ligands typically form 2D perovskites with low dimensionality (n = 1, 2) which feature poor charge conductivity and mobility. Here, we propose an in situ fabrication method incorporating long-chain oleylammonium (OlyA+) ligands directly into the perovskite ink. This approach forms 2D perovskite with higher dimensionalities (n ≥ 3) with enhanced (001) crystal facet orientation of the 3D film, improved energetic alignment, charge extraction, and structural stability. The fabricated inverted PSCs with 1.55 eV bandgap achieved a maximum PCE of 26.22% for small area and 24.6% for 1cm2 devices, as well as 21.1% for mini-modules (6.8 cm2). Additionally, the PSCs with in situ formed 2D/3D perovskite heterojunctions retained 90% and 80% of their initial PCE after 1200 h photothermal stability and 1050 h outdoor testing, respectively. Our one-step strategy produces uniform and stable 2D/3D perovskite heterojunctions with enhanced passivation capability, overcoming the limitations of conventional sequential methods and offering a promising and effective approach for highly stable and efficient PSCs.


Highlights:
1 One-step in-situ incorporation of long-chain oleylammonium ligands enables simultaneous crystallographic orientation control and 2D/3D heterojunction formation in inverted perovskite solar cells.
2 Facet engineering promotes dominant (001) orientation and higher-dimensional 2D phases (n ≥ 3) for improved energy alignment and charge extraction.
3 Achieved power conversion efficiencies of 26.22% (0.1 cm2), 24.6% (1 cm2), and 21.1% (6.8 cm2 mini-modules) with excellent photothermal and outdoor stability.

Keywords

Perovskite solar cells 2D/3D perovskite heterojunction 2D passivation Low-dimensional perovskite Perovskite crystallization
Utomo, Drajad Satrio, Yanping Liu, Andi Muhammad Risqi, Mohammed Ghadiyali, Imil Fadli Imran, Rakesh Rosan Pradhan, Shynggys Zhumagali, Sofiia Kosar, Vladyslav Hnapovskyi, Christopher E. Petoukhoff, Hao Tian, Xiaoming Chang, Badri Vishal, Adi Prasetio, Anil Reddy Pininti, Marco Marengo, Ahmed Ali Said, Aleksandra Oranskaia, Jongbeom Kim, Chuanxiao Xiao, Frédéric Laquai, Thomas D. Anthopoulos, Udo Schwingenschlögl, Sang Il Seok, Randi Azmi, and Stefaan De Wolf. 2026. “One-Step Formation of 2D/3D Perovskite Heterojunction via Ligand Intercalation and Facet Engineering for Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells”. Nano-Micro Letters 18 (February):240. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-02058-8.
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