Daily temperature variations induce phase transitions and lattice strains in halide perovskites, challenging their stability in solar cells. We stabilized the perovskite black phase and improved solar cell performance using the ordered dipolar structure of β-poly(1,1-difluoroethylene) to control perovskite film crystallization and energy alignment. We demonstrated p-i-n perovskite solar cells with a record power conversion efficiency of 24.6% over 18 square millimeters and 23.1% over 1 square centimeter, which retained 96 and 88% of the efficiency after 1000 hours of 1-sun maximum power point tracking at 25° and 75°C, respectively. Devices under rapid thermal cycling between −60° and +80°C showed no sign of fatigue, demonstrating the impact of the ordered dipolar structure on the operational stability of perovskite solar cells.

Tin-halide perovskites have great potential as photovoltaic materials, but their performance is hampered by undesirable oxidation of Sn(II) to Sn(IV). In this work, we use nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) to identify and describe the origins of Sn(IV) in Sn-based perovskites, mainly focusing on direct measurements of Sn oxidation states with ¹¹⁹Sn-NMR in solid-state and solution. We find that dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), a typical solvent for Sn-based perovskites, oxidizes Sn(II) in acidic conditions under temperatures used for film annealing. We propose a redox reaction between DMSO and Sn(II), catalyzed by hydroiodic acid, with iododimethylsulfonium iodide intermediate. We find that lower temperatures and less acidic conditions abate this reaction, and we assess a range of compositions and solution components for this instability. These results suggest the need for strategies to prevent this reaction and shed light on other solution instabilities beyond Sn(IV) that must be mitigated to achieve high-performance lead-free perovskites.