Tailoring Functional Terminals on Solution-Processable Fullerene Electron Transporting Materials for High Performance Perovskite Solar Cells

Widely known as an excellent electron transporting material (ETM), pristine fullerene C-60 plays a critical role in improving the photovoltaic performance of inverted structure perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, the imperfect perovskite/C-60 interface significantly limits the promotion of device performance and stability due to the weak coordination interactions between bare carbon cages and perovskite. Here, we designed and synthesized three functionalized fulleropyrrolidine ETMs (abbreviated as CEP, CEPE, and CECB), each of which was modified with the same primary terminal (cyanoethyl) and various secondary terminals (phenyl, phenethyl, and chlorobutyl). The resulting CECB-based PSC has a power conversion efficiency (PCE) over 19% and exceptional photo-stability over 1800 h. This work provides significant insight into the targeted terminal design of novel fullerene ETMs for efficient and stable PSCs.

Automated summary

In this study, three functionalized fulleropyrrolidine ETMs were designed and synthesized, with CECB based on the same primary terminal and different secondary terminals, showing a PSC with a power conversion efficiency of over 19% and exceptional photo-stability over 1800 hours. This research provides valuable insights into the targeted terminal design of novel fullerene ETMs for efficient and stable PSCs.