H. Richter, S. Thota, H. Ghiassi, R. M. Carty, D. Bischoff, T. A. Lada, P. C. Brookes, B. Schofield, and E. A. Jackson
Nano-C, Inc., 33 Southwest Park, Westwood, MA 02090, USA, email: hrichter@nano-c.com
To meet the urgent demand for carbon-neutral energy, solar electricity generation must scale dramatically. Perovskite photovoltaics play a critical role in this transition by (a) boosting the efficiency of established technologies like silicon-based solar cells and (b) enabling low-cost, energy-efficient fabrication of lightweight, flexible PV devices ideal for applications that require adaptable shapes and forms.
Successful commercialization of perovskite solar cells depends on the availability at industrial scale of specialized interface materials exhibiting optimized electronic, physical, and chemical properties. These materials need to enable high power conversion efficiency as well as robust stability under light exposure, elevated temperatures, and mechanical stress.
This presentation will describe the engineering of fullerenes as electron transport materials (ETMs) for interlayers in n-i-p, p-i-n, and tandem perovskite device architectures. We will cover the production and refinement of unfunctionalized fullerenes - particularly C60 - produced at industrial volumes for vapor-phase deposition. The role of functionalized fullerene moieties capable of forming self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and/or stabilizing the perovskite crystal phase will also be described. We will detail the development and synthesis of advanced fullerene derivatives incorporating groups such as phosphonic acid or amino/ammonium functionalities which enable effective interface passivation, supported by corresponding device performance results.
We will also discuss our ongoing efforts to develop advanced hole transport materials (HTMs). New and existing targets are optimized around triphenylamine or carbazole cores and functionalized with phosphonic groups to achieve optimal electronic characteristics. Emerging strategies, including cross-linking approaches and the presence of more than one functional group, will be highlighted as means to enhance both the quality and long-term durability of interface layers.
Performance data from n-i-p and p-i-n single-junction devices as well as tandem configurations, will be shared to illustrate these advancements. The selection of solvents suitable for large-scale manufacturing will be discussed.
