Interfacial Engineering of Perovskite Solar Cells by Employing a Hydrophobic Copper Phthalocyanine Derivative as Hole‐Transporting Material with Improved Performance and Stability

Abstract

In high-performance perovskite solar cells (PSCs), hole-transporting materials (HTMs) play an important role in extracting and transporting the photo-generated holes from the perovskite absorber to the cathode, thus reducing unwanted recombination losses and enhancing the photovoltaic performance. Herein, solution-processable tetra-4-(bis(4-tert-butylphenyl)amino)phenoxy-substituted copper phthalocyanine (CuPc-OTPAtBu) was synthesized and explored as a HTM in PSCs. The optical, electrochemical, and thermal properties were fully characterized for this organic metal complex. The photovoltaic performance of PSCs employing this CuPc derivative as a HTM was further investigated, in combination with a mixed-ion perovskite as a light absorber and a low-cost vacuum-free carbon as cathode. The optimized devices [doped with 6 % (w/w) tetrafluoro-tetracyano-quinodimethane (F4TCNQ)] showed a decent power conversion efficiency of 15.0 %, with an open-circuit voltage of 1.01 V, a short-circuit current density of 21.9 mA cm , and a fill factor of 0.68. Notably, the PSC devices studied also exhibited excellent long-term durability under ambient condition for 720 h, mainly owing to the introduction of the hydrophobic HTM interlayer, which prevents moisture penetration into the perovskite film. The present work emphasizes that solution-processable CuPc holds a great promise as a class of alternative HTMs that can be further explored for efficient and stable PSCs in the future.

UV‐Light Photoelectrochemical Sensor Based on the Copper Tetraamino‐Phthalocyanine‐modified ITO Electrode for the Detection of Nifedipine in Drugs and Human Serum

“…25 In addition, MPc shows unique thermal and chemical stability and photosensitivity and has also been widely used in the fabrication of photoelectrochemical sensors. 32 In this work, CuTAPc was dripped onto the ITO-coated glass electrode, producing a uniform, highly conductive, robust and strongly adherent coating. For example, the properties of metal tetraamino-phthalocyanine (MTAPc) are not only superior to those of MPc, but MTAPc is also soluble in general organic solvents.…”

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

“…The CuPc−OTPAtBu based solar cells show only 10.5 % PCE but after addition of tetrafluoro‐tetracyano‐quinodimethane (F4TCNQ) dopant the conductivity is enhanced to 8.9×10 −6 S cm −1 . This results in a short‐circuit current density of 21.9 mA.cm −2 , an open circuit voltage of 1.01 V, and power conversion efficiency of 15.0 %, which is the finest efficiency shown by using carbon as a counter electrode in perovskite solar devices (device other parameters listed in Table and ). Later, they synthesized nickel (II) (Figure ) phthalocyanine and applied as HTMs for PSCs.…”

Prospects for the use of carbon-based perovskite solar cells

“…Unlike m-CPSCs, p-CPSCs are manufactured in the same way as conventional PSCs using an Au electrode. Layers of m-TiO 2 and perovskite are deposited by spin coating on a thin planar layer of TiO 2 deposited on FTO, and then the layer of carbon is deposited on the surface of the perovskite layer [23,35,40].…”