Alkyne-Based Dual-Function Self-Assembled Monolayers for Efficient and Stable p-i-n Perovskite Solar Cells

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Renewable Energy
• Organic Electronics

Background:

• Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are crucial for perovskite solar cells (PSCs).
• Conjugated linkers in SAMs improve performance, traditionally using carbon-carbon double bonds (C═C).
• The impact of incorporating carbon-carbon triple bonds (C≡C) into SAMs for PSCs is largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of introducing a C≡C triple bond into donor-acceptor (D-A) structured SAMs.
• To design and synthesize a novel D-A SAM (ABT) with a C≡C linker for enhanced PSC performance.
• To evaluate the influence of the C≡C bond on material properties and device efficiency.

Main Methods:

• Designed and synthesized a novel D-A structured SAM (ABT) featuring a C≡C linker.
• Incorporated the C≡C bond between the D-A moiety and the anchor group of the SAM.
• Fabricated and tested perovskite solar cells using the novel ABT SAM and a reference SAM (BT).

Main Results:

• The C≡C bond in ABT extended the conjugated system, improving thermal stability and charge transport.
• ABT-based PSCs achieved a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 26.19%.
• The reference BT-based devices achieved a PCE of 24.92%, demonstrating the superiority of the ABT design.

Conclusions:

• The incorporation of C≡C linkers offers a promising strategy for developing high-performance D-A SAMs.
• The novel ABT SAM significantly enhances PSC efficiency and stability.
• This molecular design approach facilitates the commercialization of stable and efficient perovskite solar cells.