How Crystallization Additives Govern Perovskite Grain Growth.

How Crystallization Additives Govern Perovskite Grain Growth. | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article How Crystallization Additives Govern Perovskite Grain Growth. Kai Brinkmann, Timo Maschwitz, Lena Merten, Feray Ünlü, Andreas Kotthaus, and 27 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5599622/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 10 Nov, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The preparation of perovskite solar cells from the liquid phase is a cornerstone of their immense potential. However, a clear relationship between the precursor ink and the resulting perovskite is missing. Established theories, such as heterogeneous nucleation and lead complex colloid formation often prove unreliable, which has led to an overreliance on heuristics. Most high-performing perovskites use additives to control crystallization; their role during crystallization is, however, elusive. Here, we provide strong evidence that typical crystallization additives do not predominantly impact the nucleation phase, but rather facilitate coarsening grain growth by increasing ion-mobility across grain boundaries. Drawing from the insights of our unprecedentedly broad study, that combines e and in situ characterization methods, devices and simulations, we propose a concept that proves valid for various additives and perovskite formulations. Moreover, we establish a direct link between additive engineering and perovskite post-processing, offering a unified framework for advancing material design and process engineering. Physical sciences/Materials science/Materials for energy and catalysis/Solar cells Physical sciences/Materials science/Materials for devices/Electronic devices Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files CrystallizationmanuscriptdraftSupporting.pdf Supplementary Figures and Notes Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 10 Nov, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5599622","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":389721849,"identity":"09ac1963-d5c5-426d-8db1-0b8bf3d87e41","order_by":0,"name":"Kai 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