Recent advances in the design of dopant-free hole transporting materials for highly efficient perovskite solar cells

This review gives an overview of the latest advances in dopant-free hole transporting materials (HTMs) for perovskite solar cells and discusses the new molecular design strategies towards efficient and stable dopant-free HTMs.     

电极界面缓冲层对P3HT:PC61BM太阳能电池热稳定性的影响

基于溶液法加工制备的聚合物太阳能电池的高温热稳定性是决定器件能否兼容后续高温热封装工艺, 如热压封装、高温原子层沉积(ALD)等的一个关键. 本文分别利用聚(3, 4-乙烯二氧噻吩)-聚苯乙烯磺酸(PEDOT:PSS)和MoO₃作为阳极缓冲层, 以及ZnO和LiF 作为阴极缓冲层, 制备了结构为氧化铟锡(ITO)/阳极缓冲层/3-己基取代聚噻吩:(6, 6)-苯基C₆₁-丁酸甲酯(P3HT:PC₆₁BM)/阴极缓冲层/Al 的太阳能电池, 系统地比较研究了不同界面缓冲材料对器件光电转换性能及稳定性的影响, 特别是在高温煺火条件下器件的性能稳定性差异. 结果表明, 聚合物太阳能电池的热稳定性同器件的结构以及所用的缓冲层材料有密切的相关性. 其中, 利用MoO₃及ZnO分别作为阳极与阴极界面修饰层的P3HT:PC₆₁BM器件在120-150 ℃的温度范围内能够较好地保持器件的光电转换性能. 这一结果为后续需要高温封装工艺的器件提供了有意义的结构优化指导. 此外, 研究结果还表明利用ZnO作为阴极缓冲层能够改善器件的长时间稳定性.     

两亲性季铵盐对钙钛矿太阳能电池效率和稳定性的影响

将廉价易得的两亲性季铵盐十六烷基三甲基溴化铵（CTMAB）加入到钙钛矿前驱体溶液中，通过调节添加量研究了CTMAB对钙钛矿太阳能电池效率和稳定性的影响.结果表明，加入CTMAB后制备的钙钛矿薄膜更加致密均匀，表面缺陷更少，钙钛矿晶体结晶性得到显著提高，从而提高了电池的光电转换效率及电池稳定性；含有CTMAB的钙钛矿太阳能电池的光电转换效率（PCE）为18.03%，明显高于未添加CTMAB的电池效率（17.05%）；含有CTMAB的电池稳定性有较大的提高，在一定湿度环境中保存40 d后效率仍达初始效率的95%，而未添加CTMAB的器件效率只有初始效率的70%.     

紫外光辐照下CH3NH3PbI3基钙钛矿太阳能电池失效机制

随着光伏产业的不断发展,有机无机杂化钙钛矿太阳能电池的研发成为科学与工业界广泛关注的焦点。到目前为止,其光电转换效率已经提高到了25.2%,成为替代硅基太阳能电池的核心方案之一。然而,钙钛矿太阳能电池的稳定性较差,容易受到环境中氧气、水分、温度甚至光照的影响,这严重制约了其大规模推广与应用。大量科学研究表明,如何避免紫外辐照下有机无机杂化钙钛矿太阳能电池的性能衰减,对于提高钙钛矿太阳能电池的光照稳定性至关重要。然而到目前为止,仍然没有系统的工作来对紫外辐照下钙钛矿太阳能电池性能以及微结构演化过程进行详细的表征与分析。本文中,我们利用聚焦离子束-扫描电子显微分析(FIB-SEM)以及球差校正透射电子显微分析(TEM)等技术,全面地研究了紫外辐照过程中有机无机杂化钙钛矿太阳能电池性能变化规律以及电池微结构演化特征。实验结果表明,紫外辐照过程中太阳能电池内部会形成0.5–0.6 V的内建电场,钙钛矿中的I^-离子在电场的驱动下向金属Au电极和空穴传输层2, 2’, 7, 7’-四[N, N-二(4-甲氧基苯基)氨基]-9, 9'-螺二芴(Spiro-OMeTAD)一侧迁移;随后,空穴传输层与金电极的界面处,碘离子与光生空穴一起与金电极发生反应,将金属态Au氧化成离子态Au⁺。而Au⁺离子则在内建电场的驱动下反向迁移穿过钙钛矿MAPbI₃层,直接被SnO₂和MAPbI₃界面处的电子还原形成金属Au纳米团簇。除此之外,紫外辐照过程中钙钛矿太阳能电池性能降低的同时,往往伴随着Spiro-OMeTAD与钙钛矿界面处物质迁移、钙钛矿薄膜内晶界展宽以及Au纳米颗粒周围MAPbI₃物相分解等现象。以上各种因素的协同作用,共同导致了紫外光照下有机无机杂化钙钛矿太阳能电池光电转换性能(PCE)、开路电压(V_oc)以及短路电流(J_sc)等性能参数的急剧下降。     

Inverted polymer solar cells with a solution-processed zinc oxide thin film as an electron collection layer

A solution-processed zinc oxide (ZnO) thin film as an electron collection layer for polymer solar cells (PSCs) with an inverted device structure was investigated. Power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of PSCs made with a blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) are 3.50% and 1.21% for PSCs with and without the ZnO thin film, respectively. Light intensity dependence of the photocurrent and the capacitance-voltage measurement demonstrate that the increased PCEs are due to the restriction of the strong bimolecular recombination in the interface when a thin ZnO layer is inserted between the polymer active layer and the ITO electrode. These results demonstrate that the ZnO thin film plays an important role in the performance of PSCs with an inverted device structure.     

Sb2S3纳米粒子修饰ZnO纳米片微纳分级结构的光电化学性能

采用恒电位方法,选择氯化钾和乙二胺(EDA)为添加剂,在氧化铟锡(ITO)导电玻璃上制备了高度有序的ZnO纳米片阵列,通过二次电沉积得到了ZnO纳米片上生长纳米棒的微纳分级结构.利用化学浴沉积法在ZnO基底上沉积Sb₂S₃纳米粒子制备出了Sb₂S₃/ZnO纳米片壳核结构和Sb₂S₃/ZnO微纳分级壳核结构.利用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、紫外-可见(UV-Vis)吸收光谱、瞬态光电流等对其形貌、结构组成和光电化学性能进行了表征和分析.结果表明, Sb₂S₃/ZnO纳米片上生长纳米棒分级壳核结构的光电流明显高于Sb₂S₃/ZnO纳米片壳核结构.在Sb₂S₃/ZnO纳米片壳核结构和Sb₂S₃/ZnO微纳分级壳核结构的基础上旋涂一层P3HT薄膜形成P3HT/Sb₂S₃/ZnO复合结构,以上述复合结构薄膜为光活性层组装成杂化太阳电池,其中, P3HT/Sb₂S₃/ZnO分级壳核结构杂化太阳电池的能量转换效率最高,达到了0.81%.     

Engineering of dendritic dopant-free hole transport molecules:enabling ultrahigh fill factor in perovskite solar cells with optimized dendron construction

Developing dopant-free hole-transporting materials(HTMs)for high-performance perovskite solar cells(PVSCs)has been a very active research topic in recent years since HTMs play a critical role in optimizing interfacial charge carrier kinetics and in turn determining device performance.Here,a novel dendritic engineering strategy is first utilized to design HTMs with a D-A type molecular framework,and diphenylamine and/or carbazole is selected as the building block for constructing dendrons.All HTMs show good thermal stability and excellent film morphology,and the key optoelectronic properties could be fine-tuned by varying the dendron structure.Among them,MPA-Cz-BTI and MCz-Cz-BTI exhibit an improved interfacial contact with the perovskite active layer,and non-radiative recombination loss and charge transport loss can be effectively suppressed.Consequently,high power conversion efficiencies(PCEs)of 20.8%and 21.35%are achieved for MPA-Cz-BTI and MCz-Cz-BTI based devices,respectively,accompanied by excellent long-term storage stability.More encouragingly,ultrahigh fill factors of 85.2%and 83.5%are recorded for both devices,which are among the highest values reported to date.This work demonstrates the great potential of dendritic materials as a new type of dopant-free HTMs for high-performance PVSCs with excellent FF.     

Inverted polymer solar cells with Zn2SnO4 nanoparticles as the electron extraction layer

In this study, we report narrow-size distribution Zn₂SnO₄ (ZSO) nanoparticles, which are produced by low-temperature solution-processed used as the electron extraction layer (EEL) in the inverted polymer solar cells (i-PSCs). Moreover, poly[(9,9-bis(3'-(N,N-dimethylamino)propyl)-2,7-fluorene)-alt-2,7-(9,9-dioctylfluorene)] (PFN) is used to modify the surface properties of ZSO thin film. By using the ZSO NPs/PFN as the EEL, the i-PSCs fabricated by poly[4,8-bis(2-ethylhexyloxyl)benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b'] dithio-phene-2,6-diyl-altethylhexyl-3-fluorothithieno [3,4-b]thiophene-2-carboxylate-4,6-diyl] (PTB7) blended with (6,6)-phenyl-C₇₁-butyric acid methylester (PC₇₁BM) bulk heterojunction (BHJ) composite, exhibits a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.44%, which is nearly 10% enhancement as compared with that of 7.75% observed from the i-PSCs by PTB7:PC₇₁BM BHJ composite using the ZnO/PFN EEL. The enhanced PCE is originated from improved interfacial contact between the EEL with BHJ active layer and good energy level alignment between BHJ active layer and the EEL. Our results indicate that we provide a simple way to boost efficiency of i-PSCs.     

控制碘化铅形貌两步连续刮涂法大面积制备甲脒基钙钛矿薄膜

钙钛矿太阳能电池在实现高性能光伏器件方面展现出巨大的商业化应用前景,但面临着一个最主要的挑战是开发工业化规模生产的大面积高质量钙钛矿薄膜制备工艺。在本研究中,为解决大面积印刷难题,通过两步连续刮涂法制备甲脒基钙钛矿吸光层。两步法中第一步沉积的PbI₂很容易形成致密的薄膜,这将导致后续沉积的有机胺盐无法和PbI₂充分完全反应,在钙钛矿薄膜中残留PbI₂,这会严重影响载流子的传输。为了实现理想的多孔PbI₂薄膜结构,我们通过在PbI₂前驱体溶液中引入四亚甲基亚砜(THTO)。通过形成PbI₂·THTO络合物,PbI₂的结晶过程被有效控制,易形成片状的PbI₂晶粒并沿着垂直基底方向上排列,得到了理想的纳米通道。这为后续的有机胺盐渗入提供了理想的纳米通道。最终5 cm × 5 cm模组实现了18.65%的功率转化效率,并具有出色的存储和热稳定性。这一结果展现了两步连续刮涂法策略在制备大面积钙钛矿太阳能电池方面具备一定的优势。     

Approaching charge balance in organic light-emitting diodes by tuning charge injection barriers with mixed monolayers

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of binary mixtures of 1-butylphosphonic acid and the trifluoromethyl-terminated analogue (4,4,4-trifluoro-1-butylphosphonic acid) were formed on ITO surfaces to tune the work function of ITO over a range of 5.0 to 5.75 eV by varying the mixing ratio of the two adsorbents. The mixed SAM-modified ITO surfaces were used as the anode in the fabrication of OLED devices with a configuration of ITO/SAM/HTL/Alq3/MX/Al, where HTL was the NPB or BPAPF hole-transporting layer and MX was the LiF or Cs(2)CO(3) injection layer. It was shown that, depending on the HTL or MX used, the maximum device current and the maximum luminance efficiency occurred with anodes of different modifications because of a shift in the point of hole/electron carrier balance. This provides information on the charge balance in the device and points to the direction to improve the performance.     

ALD-Al2O3涂层保护的高抗湿5-氨基戊酸铰链甲胺铅溴钙钛矿薄膜

近年来,混合铅卤钙钛矿材料在光电领域引发的研究热潮引人注目。然而,钙钛矿材料对水和氧气的敏感性严重的阻碍了其实用化进程。在众多的稳定钙钛矿的方法中,利用简单的原子层沉积方法(Atomic layer deposition,ALD)在钙钛矿表面沉积一层保护层的技术具有极大的潜力。而ALD应用的困难在于,在常规的ALD过程中,做为氧源的H2O和O3对铅卤钙钛矿有着腐蚀作用。在本文,我们提出将双官能团的5-氨基戊酸(5-Aminovaleric acid,AVA)引入到CH₃NH₃PbBr₃(MAPbBr₃)钙钛矿晶格层中,形成稳定的铰链结构的2D/3D钙钛矿AVA(MAPbBr₃)2。AVA的引入可以钝化并防止ALD过程中水对钙钛矿的侵蚀,从而成功地直接在钙钛矿表面沉积了Al₂O₃保护层。覆盖了保护层的AVA(MAPbBr₃)2钙钛矿薄膜获得了优异的热稳定性和抗水性。     

Mixed-phase Mesoporous TiO2 Film for High Efficiency Perovskite Solar Cells

Mesoporous scaffold structures have played great roles in halide perovskite solar cells(PSCs),due to the excellent photovoltaic performance and commercial perspective of mesoporous PSCs.Here,we reported a mixed-phase TiO2 mesoporous film as an efficient electron transport layer(ETL)for mesoporous perovskite solar cells.Due to the improved crystal phase,fihn thickness and nanopartMe size of TiO2 layer,which were controlled by varying the one-step hydrothermal reaction time and annealing time,the PSCs exhibited an outstanding short circuit photocurrent density of 25.27 mA/cm^2,and a maximum power conversion efficiency(PCE)of 19.87%.It is found that the ultra-high Jsc attributes to the excellent film quality,light capturing and excellent electron transport ability of mixed-phase TiO2 mesoporous film.The results indicate that mix-phase mesoporous metal oxide fihns could be a promising candidate for producing effective ETLs and high efficiency PSCs.     

Improved Photovoltaic Performance from High Quality Perovskite Thin Film Grown with the Assistance of PC71BM

The strategy of sequentially spin-coating a perovskite film from the perovskite precursor and an electron transporting layer of [6,6]-phenyl-C_(71)-butyric acid methyl ester(PC_(71)BM) is developed to simplify the fabrication procedure of perovskite solar cells. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy indicate that PC_(71)BM film on perovskite layer can retard the evaporation of dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO) efficiently, thus prolonging the transformation of intermediate phase to perovskite crystals, leading to a high quality perovskite thin film. The solar cells with the structure of indium tin oxides(ITO)/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)(PEDOT:PSS)/CH_3NH_3PbI_3/PC_(71)BM/bathocuproine(BCP)/Ag made from this simplified method exhibit a higher efficiency(12.68%) than those from the conventional one-step method(9.49%).     

Synthesis and properties of stable amorphous hole-transporting molecules for electroluminescent devices

New triphenylamine-carbazole end-capped molecules were synthesized by a divergent approach using bromination and Suzuki cross-coupling reactions. All compounds showed an excellent electrochemical reversibility and a good thermal stability. They were fabricated as hole-transporting layers (HTLs) with the device configuration of ITO/HTL/Alq₃/LiF:Al. A bright green emission from the Alq₃ layer with a maximum luminance of 7500 cd/m² was observed at 9.8 V and a low turn-on voltage of 3.4 V.     

热退火气氛对溶液法制备的Sb2S3薄膜组成、结构及光伏性能的影响

采用化学浴(CBD)法在TiO₂薄膜表面制备结晶性Sb₂S₃膜层, 获得了TiO₂/Sb₂S₃平板异质结, 并结合聚[2,6-{4,4-双-(2-乙基己基)-4H-环戊并[2,1-b;3,4-b']-二噻吩}-交替-4,7-(2,1,3-苯并噻二唑)](PCPDTBT)空穴传输层和MoO₃电极界面修饰层, 制备了FTO/TiO₂/Sb₂S₃/PCPDTBT/MoO₃/Au平板结构太阳能电池, 研究了CBD方法中热退火气氛对Sb₂S₃薄膜的组成、 结构及光伏性能的影响. 结果表明, 在N₂气氛下退火时, 所得的Sb₂S₃膜层不致密且含有Sb₂O₃杂相, 电池效率仅为0.90%; 而在N₂-S气氛下退火时, 硫会与杂相Sb₂O₃发生反应生成Sb₂S₃, 进而得到纯净、 致密、 平整的结晶Sb₂S₃膜层. 在平板结构太阳能电池中, 光生空穴对电池光电流的产生有明显的贡献; 随着Sb₂O₃杂相的消除, Sb₂S₃薄膜中载流子的复合减少且传输速率增大, 使太阳能电池器件中电子与空穴的收集效率和短路电流显著提高, 电池效率提高了1.34倍, 达到2.04%.     

电泳法制备的致密氧化锡薄膜及其在高稳定性钙钛矿太阳能电池中的应用

在平面型钙钛矿太阳能电池中常采用SnO₂作为电子传输层材料,相应的SnO₂薄膜常采用溶液旋涂法制备。但是由于前驱液中的纳米颗粒可能会发生部分团聚、基底和溶液难以完全避免灰尘等杂质颗粒混入,且最佳的SnO₂电子传输层的厚度通常仅有约20 nm,所以这种方法制备的电子传输层难以保证严格致密和无纳米针孔。在本工作中,我们报道了一种电泳沉积制备致密SnO₂薄膜的方法,并用其有效地提高了钙钛矿太阳能电池的光电转换效率和工况稳定性。通过电泳法,表面带负电荷的SnO₂纳米颗粒在电场的作用下沉积到氧化铟锡(ITO)阳极表面,这种方法得到的薄膜比旋涂法制备的更为致密。将其应用于n-i-p结构的钙钛矿太阳能电池中,能够使得暗电流降低并抑制载流子的非辐射复合,从而提高电池的短路电流和开路电压,进而实现更高的光电转换效率(从18.17%提高到19.52%),且能消除迟滞效应。更重要的是,长期工况稳定性测试表明基于电泳-旋涂法制备的器件在1个太阳的光照下、最大功率点处连续工作960 h后,仍然能够保持71%的初始效率;然而基于旋涂法制备的器件在工作100 h后即降低到初始效率的70%。本工作提供了一种全新的SnO₂电子传输层的制备方法,显著地提高了器件性能和工况稳定性,后续有望应用于制备大面积器件和电池模组。     

Dopant-free hole transporting materials with supramolecular interactions and reverse diffusion for efficient and modular p-i-n perovskite solar cells

The rational design of dopant-free organic hole-transporting layer(HTL) materials is still a challenge for realizing high-efficient and stable p-i-n planar perovskite solar cells(pero-SCs). Here, we synthesized two π-conjugated small-molecule HTL materials through tailoring the backbone and conjugated side chain to carefully control molecular conformation. The resultant BDT-TPAs Th containing a planar fused benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene(BDT) core and a conjugated thiophene side chain showed the planar conformation. X-ray crystallography showed a favorable stacking model in solid states under the parallel-displaced π-πand additional S-π weak-bond supramolecular interactions, thus achieving an obviously increased hole mobility without dopants.As an HTL material in p-i-n planar pero-SCs, the marginal solubility of BDT-TPA-s Th enabled inverse diffusion into the perovskite precursor solution for assisting the subsequent perovskite film growth and passivating the uncoordinated Pb~(2+) ion defects. As a result, the planar p-i-n pero-SCs exhibited a champion power conversion efficiency(PCE) of 20.5% and enhanced moisture stability. Importantly, the BDT-TPA-s Th HTL material also showed weak thickness-photovoltaic dependence, and the pero-SCs with blade-coated BDT-TPA-s Th as a HTL achieved a 15.30% PCE for the 1-cm~2 modularized device. This HTL material design strategy is expected to pave the way toward high-performance, dopant-free and printing large-area planar p-i-n pero-SCs.     

空气下光诱导有机金属卤化钙钛矿薄膜的降解机理

近几年来钙钛矿材料作为新兴光伏材料取得了巨大的发展进步,但有机无机杂化钙钛矿较差的环境稳定性限制了它的大规模应用。因此深入研究钙钛矿材料的降解机制有助于开发更稳定的钙钛矿光伏器件。本文基于透射电子显微学的微观形貌观察、晶体结构及元素成分表征,详细研究了杂化钙钛矿CH_3NH_3PbI_3薄膜在光照以及空气共同作用下的降解机理。研究发现,光诱导下CH_3NH_3PbI_3薄膜会与空气中的氧气发生交互作用,同时生成六方晶态PbI_2甚至氧化为非晶态化合物PbI_(2-2x)O_x (0.4 x 0.6),而其衰减位点主要存在于薄膜与空气接触的表面。降解过程中,由于存在着挥发性分解产物(I_2,CH_3NH_2)的大量丢失,薄膜的表面会产生许多小孔洞,继而形成一种蜂窝状的介孔衰竭通道。而这种衰竭方式主要与光照下钙钛矿中光生电子与氧气结合形成超氧根自由基(O_2~(·-))有关,该基团诱导了CH_3NH_3PbI_3向PbI_2和非晶氧化态的转变。本文揭示了空气中光照诱导钙钛矿薄膜的降解机理,这将为未来设计和优化更稳定的钙钛矿太阳能电池提供全面的实验数据与理论支持。     

A Self-Assembled Small-Molecule-Based Hole-Transporting Material for Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells

Hybrid organic–inorganic perovskite solar cells have recently emerged as one of the most promising low-cost photovoltaic technologies. The remarkable progress of perovskite photovoltaics is closely related to advances in interfacial engineering and development of charge selective interlayers. Herein, we present the synthesis and characterization of a fused azapolyheteroaromatic small molecule, namely anthradi-7-azaindole ( ADAI ), with outstanding performance as a hole-transporting layer in perovskite solar cells with inverted architecture. Its molecular arrangement, induced by hydrogen-bond-directed self-assembly, favors a suitable morphology of the perovskite layer, reducing the effects of recombination as revealed by light intensity dependence, photoluminescence, and electroluminescence studies.     

紫外臭氧处理增强溶液法MoO3薄膜的空穴注入能力

空穴注入层对有机发光二极管的性能有重要的影响,尤其是当器件中的空穴传输材料的最高占据分子轨道能级较深的时候。近年来有许多关于新型的溶液法空穴注入材料的研究。在本文中,我们对溶液法MoO₃薄膜使用了三种不同的处理方法来研究其对空穴注入性能的影响,即：在空气中150 ℃退火;在空气中150 ℃退火再紫外臭氧处理(UVO) 15 min;只进行UVO处理15 min。结果发现当MoO₃薄膜在空气中150 ℃退火后,器件的电流最小,空穴注入能力最差。而当MoO₃薄膜经过UVO处理后,器件的电流显著增大,工作电压大幅下降,器件性能接近于蒸镀的MoO₃薄膜的器件。更惊喜的是,这种改善在MoO₃薄膜仅作UVO处理后也可获得。经定量计算发现MoO₃薄膜经过UVO处理后的空穴注入效率能提高到约0.1。XPS分析表明通过UVO处理后,MoO₃薄膜中Mo⁵⁺成分减少并且薄膜表面的富氧吸附物被有效地消除,使得其化学计量基本与蒸镀的MoO₃薄膜相同。基于这种经UVO处理的溶液法MoO₃作为空穴注入层,器件的最大电流效率可达到48.3 cd∙A⁻¹。