• Kelly, Timothy L.

Abstract

<jats:p> Perovskite solar cells have emerged as one of the most promising next-generation photovoltaic technologies and have achieved a record power conversion efficiency of 22.7%. The technology meets industrial demands for cost effectiveness and scalability; however, the instability of lead halide perovskites toward moisture is a major barrier to their commercial development. Previous studies have revealed that the use of hydrophobic hole-transport layers (e.g., poly(3-hexylthiophene), P3HT) can slow the ingress of water vapor and improve the lifetime of the underlying perovskite, suggesting a route to longer lived devices. In this work, we report the synthesis of a variety of poly(3-alkoxythiophenes) with different side chains. The side chains range from hydrophilic (triethylene glycol methyl ether) to extremely hydrophobic (highly fluorinated hexyloxy). We evaluated the polymers, alongside commercially available P3HT, for their ability to stabilize methylammonium lead iodide films at high relative humidities. The fluorinated polythiophenes were able to substantially improve the perovskite lifetime, suggesting that more hydrophobic hole-transport layers may be a route to more stable perovskite solar cells. </jats:p>

Topics

• perovskite
• impedance spectroscopy
• polymer
• decomposition
• power conversion efficiency