Electrodeposited self-assembled molecules for perovskite photovoltaics

Abstract Preventing the detachment of self-assembled molecules (SAMs) and enhancing their passivation effect on perovskites are critical challenges for improving the performance and stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs)1–3. Electrodeposited SAMs provide a route to improve coverage uniformity and anchoring robustness on conductive substrates beyond the limitations of conventional solution processing. Here, we use potential-cycled electrodeposition to promote molecular rearrangement and re-anchoring of SAMs, resulting in a uniform and dense layer on an indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate with enhanced anchoring capability. Building on this base SAM, functional units are grown via electrochemical oxidative coupling to form tailored coupled carbazole phosphonic SAMs, yielding power conversion efficiencies of 26.8% for lab-scale solar cells and 21.3% for solar modules (65 cm2). This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution Access options Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription $32.99 / 30 days cancel any time Subscribe to this journal Receive 52 print issues and online access $199.00 per year only $3.83 per issue Rent or buy this article Prices vary by article type from$1.95 to$39.95 Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout Similar content being viewed by others Author information Authors and Affiliations Corresponding authors Supplementary information Supplementary Information (download PDF ) Supplementary Notes 1–7, Supplementary Figs 1–60, Supplementary Tables 1–6 and Supplementary References. Rights and permissions About this article Cite this article Xiong, Z., Luo, X., Tang, F. et al. Electrodeposited self-assembled molecules for perovskite photovoltaics. Nature (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10844-6 Received: Accepted: Published: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10844-6