Small molecule dopant-free dual hole transporting material for conventional and inverted perovskite solar cells

Interfacial layers play very important roles in perovskite solar cells and the enormous diversity of reported materials has contributed to the outstanding progress of these photovoltaic devices. Nevertheless, the interfacial materials are commonly developed to be used in solar cells with a specific architecture, either conventional (n-i-p) or inverted (p-i-n). We report the exceptional performance of a small molecule, whose structural features, based on hydrogen bond-directed self-assembly, allow its application as hole transporting layer (HTL) in n-i-p and p-i-n perovskite solar cells with the same efficiency. This particularity has been investigated through a comparative study with a very similar molecule that cannot self-assemble, evidencing the benefits of the structural integrity of hydrogen bonded HTLs in terms of charge extraction and recombination, independently on the device architecture.

Automated summary

Interfacial layers are crucial for the performance of perovskite solar cells, and the diverse materials reported have greatly contributed to their progress. However, interfacial materials are typically developed for specific cell architectures. We have demonstrated the exceptional performance of a small molecule as a hole transporting layer (HTL) in both n-i-p and p-i-n perovskite solar cells, thanks to its self-assembling properties. This study highlights the advantages of hydrogen bonded HTLs in terms of charge extraction and recombination, regardless of the cell architecture.