3,4‐Phenylenedioxythiophene (PheDOT) Based Hole‐Transporting Materials for Perovskite Solar Cells

Two new electron‐rich molecules based on 3,4‐phenylenedioxythiophene (PheDOT) were synthesized and successfully adopted as hole‐transporting materials (HTMs) in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). X‐ray diffraction, absorption spectra, photoluminescence spectra, electrochemical properties, thermal stabilities, hole mobilities, conductivities, and photovoltaic parameters of PSCs based on these two HTMs were compared with each other. By introducing methoxy substituents into the main skeleton, the energy levels of PheDOT‐core HTM were tuned to match with the perovskite, and its hole mobility was also improved (1.33×10^?4 cm² V^?1 s^?1, being higher than that of spiro‐OMeTAD, 2.34×10^?5 cm² V^?1 s^?1). The PSC based on MeO‐PheDOT as HTM exhibits a short‐circuit current density (J_sc) of 18.31 mA cm^?2, an open‐circuit potential (V_oc) of 0.914 V, and a fill factor (FF) of 0.636, yielding an encouraging power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 10.64 % under AM 1.5G illumination. These results give some insight into how the molecular structures of HTMs affect their performances and pave the way for developing high‐efficiency and low‐cost HTMs for PSCs.     

Facile Synthesis of a Furan–Arylamine Hole‐Transporting Material for High‐Efficiency,Mesoscopic Perovskite Solar Cells

A novel hole‐transporting molecule (F101) based on a furan core has been synthesized by means of a short, high‐yielding route. When used as the hole‐transporting material (HTM) in mesoporous methylammonium lead halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) it produced better device performance than the current state‐of‐the‐art HTM 2,2′,7,7′‐tetrakis‐(N,N‐di‐p‐methoxyphenylamine)‐9,9′‐spirobifluorene (spiro‐OMeTAD). The F101‐HTM‐based device exhibited both slightly higher J_sc (19.63 vs. 18.41 mA cm^?2) and V_oc (1.1 vs. 1.05 V) resulting in a marginally higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) (13.1 vs. 13 %). The steady‐state and time‐resolved photoluminescence show that F101 has significant charge extraction ability. The simple molecular structure, short synthesis route with high yield and better performance in devices makes F101 an excellent candidate for replacing the expensive spiro‐OMeTAD as HTM in PSCs.     

Benzotrithiophene‐Based Hole‐Transporting Materials for 18.2 % Perovskite Solar Cells

New star‐shaped benzotrithiophene (BTT)‐based hole‐transporting materials (HTM) BTT‐1, BTT‐2 and BTT‐3 have been obtained through a facile synthetic route by crosslinking triarylamine‐based donor groups with a benzotrithiophene (BTT) core. The BTT HTMs were tested on solution‐processed lead trihalide perovskite‐based solar cells. Power conversion efficiencies in the range of 16 % to 18.2 % were achieved under AM 1.5 sun with the three derivatives. These values are comparable to those obtained with today's most commonly used HTM spiro‐OMeTAD, which point them out as promising candidates to be used as readily available and cost‐effective alternatives in perovskite solar cells (PSCs).     

Hole‐Transport Materials for Perovskite Solar Cells

The pressure to move towards renewable energy has inspired researchers to look for ideas in photovoltaics that may lead to a major breakthrough. Recently the use of perovskites as a light harvester has lead to stunning progress. The power conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells is now approaching parity (>22 %) with that of the established technology which took decades to reach this level of performance. The use of a hole transport material (HTM) remains indispensable in perovskite solar cells. Perovskites can conduct holes, but they are present at low levels, and for efficient charge extraction a HTM layer is a prerequisite. Herein we provide an overview of the diverse types of HTM available, from organic to inorganic, in the hope of encouraging further research and the optimization of these materials.     

Highly Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells Employing an Easily Attainable Bifluorenylidene‐Based Hole‐Transporting Material

The 4,4′‐dimethoxydiphenylamine‐substituted 9,9′‐bifluorenylidene ( KR216 ) hole transporting material has been synthesized using a straightforward two‐step procedure from commercially available and inexpensive starting reagents, mimicking the synthetically challenging 9,9′‐spirobifluorene moiety of the well‐studied spiro‐OMeTAD. A power conversion efficiency of 17.8 % has been reached employing a novel HTM in a perovskite solar cells.     

Efficient Hole‐Transporting Materials with Triazole Core for High‐Efficiency Perovskite Solar Cells

Efficient hole‐transporting materials (HTMs), TAZ‐[MeOTPA]₂ and TAZ‐[MeOTPATh]₂ incorporating two electron‐rich diphenylamino side arms, through direct linkage or thiophen bridges, respectively, on the C3‐ and C5‐positions of a 4‐phenyl‐1,2,4‐triazole core were synthesized. These synthetic HTMs with donor–acceptor type molecular structures exhibited effective intramolecular charge transfer for improving the hole‐transporting properties. The structural modification of HTMs by thiophene bridging might increase intermolecular π–π stacking in the solid state and afford a better spectral response because of their increased π‐conjugation length. Perovskite‐based cells using TAZ‐[MeOTPA]₂ and TAZ‐[MeOTPATh]₂ as HTMs afforded high power conversion efficiencies of 10.9 % and 14.4 %, respectively, showing a photovoltaic performance comparable to that obtained using spiro‐OMeTAD. These synthetically simple and inexpensive HTMs hold promise for replacing the more expensive spiro‐OMeTAD in high‐efficiency perovskite solar cells.     

A Two‐Dimensional Hole‐Transporting Material for High‐Performance Perovskite Solar Cells with 20 % Average Efficiency

A readily available small molecular hole‐transporting material (HTM), OMe‐TATPyr, was synthesized and tested in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). OMe‐TATPyr is a two‐dimensional π‐conjugated molecule with a pyrene core and four phenyl‐thiophene bridged triarylamine groups. It can be readily synthesized in gram scale with a low lab cost of around US$ 50 g^?1. The incorporation of the phenyl‐thiophene units in OMe‐TATPyr are beneficial for not only carrier transportation through improved charge delocalization and intermolecular stacking, but also potential trap passivation via Pb–S interaction as supported by depth‐profiling XPS, photoluminescence, and electrochemical impedance analysis. As a result, an impressive best power conversion efficiency (PCE) of up to 20.6 % and an average PCE of 20.0 % with good stability has been achieved for mixed‐cation PSCs with OMe‐TATPyr with an area of 0.09 cm². A device with an area of 1.08 cm² based on OMe‐TATPyr demonstrates a PCE of 17.3 %.     

Enhancement of the Photovoltaic Performance of CH3NH3PbI3 Perovskite Solar Cells through a Dichlorobenzene‐Functionalized Hole‐Transporting Material

A dichlorobenzene‐functionalized hole‐transporting material (HTM) is developed for a CH₃NH₃PbI₃‐based perovskite solar cell. Notwithstanding the similarity of the frontier molecular orbital energy levels, optical properties, and hole mobility between the functionalized HTM [a polymer composed of 2′‐butyloctyl‐4,6‐dibromo‐3‐fluorothieno[3,4‐b]thiophene‐2‐carboxylate (TT‐BO), 3′,4′‐dichlorobenzyl‐4,6‐dibromo‐3‐fluorothieno[3,4‐b]thiophene‐2‐carboxylate (TT‐DCB), and 2,6‐bis(trimethyltin)‐4,8‐bis(2‐ethylhexyloxy)benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]dithiophene (BDT‐EH), denoted PTB‐DCB21] and the nonfunctionalized polymer [a polymer composed of thieno[3,4‐b]thiophene (TT) and benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]dithiophene (BDT), denoted PTB‐BO], a higher power conversion efficiency for PTB‐DCB21 (8.7 %) than that for PTB‐BO (7.4 %) is achieved because of a higher photocurrent and voltage. The high efficiency is even obtained without including additives, such as lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide and/or 4‐tert‐butylpyridine, that are commonly used to improve the conductivity of the HTM. Transient photocurrent–voltage studies show that the PTB‐DCB21‐based device exhibits faster electron transport and slower charge recombination; this might be related to better interfacial contact through intermolecular chemical interactions between the perovskite and the 3,4‐dichlorobenzyl group in PTB‐DCB21.     

Amorphous Hole‐Transporting Material based on 2,2′‐Bis‐substituted 1,1′‐Biphenyl Scaffold for Application in Perovskite Solar Cells

Perovskite solar cells are considered a promising technology for solar‐energy conversion, with power conversion efficiencies currently exceeding 20 %. In most of the reported devices, Spiro‐OMeTAD is used for positive‐charge extraction and transport layer. Although a number of alternative hole‐transporting materials with different aromatic or heteroaromatic fragments have already been synthesized, a cheap and well‐performing hole‐transporting material is still in high demand. In this work, a two‐step synthesis of a carbazole‐based hole‐transporting material is presented. Synthesized compounds exhibited amorphous nature, good solubility and thermal stability. The perovskite solar cells employing the newly synthesized material generated a power conversion efficiency of 16.5 % which is slightly lower than that obtained with Spiro‐OMeTAD (17.5 %). The low‐cost synthesis and high performance makes our hole‐transport material promising for applications in perovskite‐based optoelectronic devices.     

Hexaazatrinaphthylene Derivatives: Efficient Electron‐Transporting Materials with Tunable Energy Levels for Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells

Hexaazatrinaphthylene (HATNA) derivatives have been successfully shown to function as efficient electron‐transporting materials (ETMs) for perovskite solar cells (PVSCs). The cells demonstrate a superior power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 17.6 % with negligible hysteresis. This study provides one of the first nonfullerene small‐molecule‐based ETMs for high‐performance p–i–n PVSCs.     

Beyond Perovskite Solar Cells: Tellurium Iodide as a Promising Light‐Absorbing Material for Solution‐Processed Photovoltaic Application

Searching new light‐absorbing materials to replace toxic lead halide in solar cells is very important and highly desirable. In this research, we firstly demonstrated that tellurium iodide (TeI₄) could be used as a light‐absorbing material in solar cells due to its suitable optical band gap and the active lone‐pair electron orbital in Te⁴⁺. The best power conversion efficiency (PCE=3.56%) was achieved with a concentration of 0.9 M TeI₄ in DMF:DMSO (4 : 1, v,v) without any heat treatment or antisolvent dripping. Our study indicates the promising potential of TeI₄ for photovoltaic and optoelectronic applications.     

Lowering Molecular Symmetry To Improve the Morphological Properties of the Hole‐Transport Layer for Stable Perovskite Solar Cells

Inspired by the structural feature of the classical hole‐transport material (HTM), Spiro‐OMeTAD, many analogues based on a highly symmetrical spiro‐core were reported for perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, these HTMs were prone to crystallize because of the high molecular symmetry, forming non‐uniform films, unfavorable for the device stability and large‐area processing. By lowering the symmetry of spiro‐core, we report herein a novel spirobisindane‐based HTM, Spiro‐I, which could form amorphous films with high uniformity and morphological stability. Compared to the Spiro‐OMeTAD‐based PSCs, those containing Spiro‐I exhibit similar efficiencies for small area but higher ones for large area (1 cm²), and especially much higher air stability (retaining 80 % of initial PCE after 2400 h storage without encapsulation). Moreover, the Spiro‐I can be synthesized from a cheap starting material bisphenol A and used with a small amount for the device fabrication.     

m‐Methoxy Substituents in a Tetraphenylethylene‐Based Hole‐Transport Material for Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells

Three tetrapheynlethylene derivatives (N,N‐di(4‐methoxyphenyl)aminophenyl‐substituted tetraphenylethylene; TPE‐4DPA) with different methoxy positions (pp‐, pm‐, and po‐) have been synthesized and characterized. The methoxy groups can control the oxidation potential of the materials, and the electronic properties of the derivatives were affected by the position of the methoxy substituents. These compounds were synthesized in a facile and cost‐effective way, and were applied as hole‐transport materials in perovskite solar cells. The corresponding cell performances were compared with respect to their structure modifications, and it was found that the derivative with m‐OMe substituents showed the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 15.4 %, with a J_sc value of 20.04 mA cm^?2, a V_oc value of 1.07 V, and a fill factor (FF) value of 0.72, which is higher than the p‐OMe and o‐OMe substituents. Moreover, the PCE of pm‐TPE‐4DPA is comparable with that of the state‐of‐the‐art 2,2′,7,7′‐tetrakis(N,N′‐di‐p‐methoxyphenylamine)‐9,9′‐spirobifluorene under identical conditions.     

Non‐Planar and Flexible Hole‐Transporting Materials from Bis‐Xanthene and Bis‐Thioxanthene Units for Perovskite Solar Cells

Two new hole‐transporting materials (HTMs), BX‐OMeTAD and BTX‐OMeTAD , based on xanthene and thioxanthene units, respectively, and bearing p‐methoxydiphenylamine peripheral groups, are presented for their use in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The novelty of the newly designed molecules relies on the use of a single carbon‐carbon bond ‘C?C’ as a linker between the two functionalized heterocycles, which increases the flexibility of the molecule compared with the more rigid structure of the widely used HTM spiro‐OMeTAD. The new HTMs display a limited absorbance in the visible region, due to the lack of conjugation between the two molecular halves, and the chemical design used has a remarkably impact on the thermal properties when compared to spiro‐OMeTAD. BX‐OMeTAD and BTX‐OMeTAD have been tested in ([(FAPbI₃)_0.87(MAPbBr₃)_0.13]_0.92[CsPbI₃]_0.08)‐based PSC devices exhibiting power conversion efficiencies of 14.19 and 16.55 %, respectively. The efficiencies reached, although lower than those measured for spiro‐OMeTAD (19.63 %), are good enough to consider the chemical strategy used as an interesting via to design HTMs for PSCs.     

反式钙钛矿电池超薄空穴传输层研究进展

空穴传输层(HTLs)厚度对反式钙钛矿太阳能电池(PSCs)性能具有重大影响,因其显著影响太阳光透过和HTLs的空穴传输性能。几个纳米至十几个纳米厚度的超薄HTLs在减少伴生吸收、电荷传输损失和材料消耗等方面具有明显优势。目前,有许多成熟的制备超薄无机HTLs的方法,并在反式和叠层PSCs中得到广泛研究与应用。最近,一些关于有机超薄HTLs的新型制备方法也展现出良好的性能并逐渐引起相关领域研究者关注。在此,本文主要总结反式PSCs中超薄HTLs的研究进展与应用,关注其未来发展的挑战和方向,为该领域进一步的研究提供参考。     

Enhanced Performance of Camphorsulfonic Acid-Doped Perovskite Solar Cells

High-quality perovskite film with large grains and therefore reduced grain boundaries plays a significant role in improving the power conversion efficiency (PCE) and ensuring good long-term stability of the perovskite solar cells. In this work, we found that adding camphorsulfonic acid (CSA), a Lewis base, to the perovskite solution results in the crystallization of larger perovskite grains. By varying the concentration of CSA, we found that the optimal concentration of the additive is 1 mg/mL, which leads to an 20% increase in PCE of the cells compared to the reference CSA-free cell. Interestingly, we observed that the PCE of cells with an excess of CSA was initially poor, but may increase significantly over time, possibly due to CSA migration to the hole-transporting layer, leading to an improvement in its conductivity.     

High‐Purity Inorganic Perovskite Films for Solar Cells with 9.72 % Efficiency

All‐inorganic perovskite solar cells with high efficiency and improved stability are promising for commercialization. A multistep solution‐processing method was developed to fabricate high‐purity inorganic CsPbBr₃ perovskite films for use in efficient solar cells. By tuning the number of deposition cycles (n) of a CsBr solution, the phase conversion from CsPb₂Br₅ (n ≤3), to CsPbBr₃ (n=4), and Cs₄PbBr₆ (n≥5) was optimized to achieve vertical‐ and monolayer‐aligned grains. Upon interfacial modification with graphene quantum dots, the all‐inorganic perovskite solar cell (without a hole‐transporting layer) achieved a power conversion efficiency (PCE) as high as 9.72 % under standard solar illumination conditions. Under challenging conditions, such as 90 % relative humidity (RH) at 25 °C or 80 °C at zero humidity, the optimized device retained 87 % PCE over 130 days or 95 % over 40 days, compared to the initial efficiency.     

钙钛矿型太阳电池研究进展

自从2009年钙钛矿材料被应用到太阳电池领域,到现在仅6年的时间里,钙钛矿型太阳电池的光伏转换效率从约3%提高到20.1%,受到全球瞩目。 本文对近年来钙钛矿型太阳电池的发展进行了综述,介绍了钙钛矿吸光材料的性能及其制备,总结了钙钛矿型太阳电池器件结构及其内在机理,探讨了该类型电池待突破的方向和可能的解决途径,阐述了钙钛矿型太阳电池的进展历程,展望了未来发展方向。     

A Fast Deposition‐Crystallization Procedure for Highly Efficient Lead Iodide Perovskite Thin‐Film Solar Cells

Thin‐film photovoltaics based on alkylammonium lead iodide perovskite light absorbers have recently emerged as a promising low‐cost solar energy harvesting technology. To date, the perovskite layer in these efficient solar cells has generally been fabricated by either vapor deposition or a two‐step sequential deposition process. We report that flat, uniform thin films of this material can be deposited by a one‐step, solvent‐induced, fast crystallization method involving spin‐coating of a DMF solution of CH₃NH₃PbI₃ followed immediately by exposure to chlorobenzene to induce crystallization. Analysis of the devices and films revealed that the perovskite films consist of large crystalline grains with sizes up to microns. Planar heterojunction solar cells constructed with these solution‐processed thin films yielded an average power conversion efficiency of 13.9±0.7 % and a steady state efficiency of 13 % under standard AM 1.5 conditions.     

Metallated Macrocyclic Derivatives as a Hole – Transporting Materials for Perovskite Solar Cells

Spiro‐OMeTAD is widely used as thehole‐transporting material (HTM) in perovskite solar cells (PSC), which extracts positive charges and protects the perovskite materials from metal electrode, setting a new world‐record efficiency of more than 20 %. Spiro‐OMeTAD layer engross moisture leading to the degradation of perovskite, and therefore, has poor air stability. It is also expensive therefore limiting scale‐up, so macrocyclic metal complex derivatives (MMDs) could be a suitable replacement. Our review covers low‐cost, high yield hydrophobic materials with minimal steps required for synthesis of efficient HTMs for planar/mesostructured PSCs. The MMDs based devices demonstrated PCEs around 19 % and showed stability for a longer duration, indicating that MMDs are a promising alternative to spiro‐OMeTAD and also easy to scale‐up via solution approach. Additionally, this review describes how optical and electrical properties of MMDs change with chemical structure, allowing for the design of novel hole‐mobility materials to achieve negligible hysteresis and act as effective functional barriers against moisture which results in a significant increase in the stability of the device. We provide an overview of the apt green‐synthesis, characterization, stability and implementation of the various classes of macrocyclic metal complex derivatives as HTM for photovoltaic applications.