Citation: CHEN Rui, WANG Wei, BU Tongle, KU Zhiliang, ZHONG Jie, PENG Yong, XIAO Shengqiang, YOU Wei, HUANG Fuzhi, CHENG Yibing, FU Zhengyi. Low-Cost Fullerene Derivative as an Efficient Electron Transport Layer for Planar Perovskite Solar Cells[J]. Acta Physico-Chimica Sinica, ;2019, 35(4): 401-407. doi: 10.3866/PKU.WHXB201803131 shu

Low-Cost Fullerene Derivative as an Efficient Electron Transport Layer for Planar Perovskite Solar Cells

CHEN Rui ¹ ,
WANG Wei ¹ ,
BU Tongle ¹ ,
KU Zhiliang ¹ ,
ZHONG Jie ¹ ,
PENG Yong ¹ ,
XIAO Shengqiang ^1,, ,
YOU Wei ^1,2 ,
HUANG Fuzhi ^1,, ,
CHENG Yibing ^1,3 ,
FU Zhengyi ¹

1.
State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, P. R. China.
2.
Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA.
3.
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Monash University, VIC 3800, Australia

Corresponding author: XIAO Shengqiang, shengqiang@whut.edu.cn HUANG Fuzhi, fuzhi.huang@whut.edu.cn
Received Date: 22 February 2018
Revised Date: 7 March 2018
Accepted Date: 12 March 2018
Available Online: 13 April 2018
Fund Project: the National Natural Science Foundation of China 21673170The project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51672202, 21673170), the Technological Innovation Key Project of Hubei Province, China (2016AAA041), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, China (WUT:2016IVA085)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, China WUT:2016IVA085the National Natural Science Foundation of China 51672202the Technological Innovation Key Project of Hubei Province, China 2016AAA041

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have attracted significant attention owing to their high absorption coefficient and ambipolar charge transport properties. With only several years of development, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) has increased from 3.8% to 22.7%. In general, PSCs have two types of structural architecture: mesoporous and planar. The latter possesses higher potential for commercialization due to its simpler structure and fabrication process, especially the inverted planar structure, which possesses negligible hysteresis. In an inverted PSC, the electron transport materials (ETM) are deposited on a perovskite film. Only a few ETMs can be used for inverted PSCs as the perovskite film is easily damaged by the solvent used to dissolve the ETM. Furthermore, the energy levels of the ETM should be well aligned with that of the perovskites. Normally it is difficult to use inorganic ETMs as they require high temperatures for the annealing process to improve the electron conductivity; the perovskite film cannot sustain these high temperatures. To date, the fullerene derivative, [6, 6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), is the most commonly used organic ETM for high efficiency inverted planar PSCs. However, the high manufacturing cost due to its complex synthesis retards the industrialization of the PSCs. Here, we introduce a fullerene pyrrolidine derivative, N-methyl-2-pentyl-[60]fullerene pyrrolidine (NMPFP), synthesized via the Prato reaction of C₆₀ directly with cheap hexanal and sarcosine. Then the NMPFP electron transport layer (ETL) was prepared by a simple solution process. The properties of the resulting NMPFP ETLs were characterized using UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry measurements, atomic force microscopy, and conductivity test. From the results of the UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry measurements, the LUMO level of NMPFP ETL was calculated to be 0.2 eV higher than that of the PCBM ETL. This contributes to a higher open-circuit photovoltage. In addition, the NMPFP film presented higher conductivity than the PCBM film. Thus, the photo-generated charge carriers in the perovskite films should be transported more efficiently to the NMPFP electron transport layer (ETL) than to the PCBM ETL. This was confirmed by the results of the steady-state photoluminescence spectroscopy. Finally, the NMPFP as an alternative low-cost ETL was employed in an inverted planar PSC to evaluate the device performance. The device made with the NMPFP ETL yielded an efficiency of 13.83% with negligible hysteresis, which is comparable to the PCBM counterpart devices. Moreover, since stability is another important parameter retarding the commercialization of PSCs, the stability of the PCBM and NMPFP base PSCs were investigated and compared. It was found that the NMPFP devices possessed significantly improved stability due to the higher hydrophobicity of the NMPFP. In conclusion, this research demonstrates that NMPFP is a promising ETL to replace PCBM for the industrialization of cheap, efficient and stable inverted planar PSCs.
- Inverted perovskite solar cells,
- Electron transport layer,
- Low cost,
- PCBM,
- Fullerene derivative
1. [1]
  Green, M. A.; Ho-Baillie, A.; Snaith, H. J. Nat. Photon. 2014, 8, 506. doi: 10.1038/nphoton.2014.134 doi: 10.1038/nphoton.2014.134
2. [2]
  Snaith, H. J. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2013, 4, 3623. doi: 10.1021/jz4020162 doi: 10.1021/jz4020162
3. [3]
  Liu, M.; Johnston, M. B.; Snaith, H. J. Nature 2013, 501, 395. doi: 10.1038/nature12509 doi: 10.1038/nature12509
4. [4]
  Park, N. G. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2013, 4, 2423. doi: 10.1021/jz400892a doi: 10.1021/jz400892a
5. [5]
  Gao, P.; Grätzel, M.; Nazeeruddin, M. K. Energy Environ. Sci. 2014, 7, 2448. doi: 10.1039/c4ee00942h doi: 10.1039/c4ee00942h
6. [6]
  https://www.nrel.gov/pv/assets/images/efficiency-chart.png
7. [7]
  Zhou, H.; Chen, Q.; Li, G.; Luo, S.; Song, T. B.; Duan, H. S.; Hong, Z.; You, J.; Liu, Y.; Yang, Y. Science 2014, 345, 542. doi: 10.1126/science.1254050 doi: 10.1126/science.1254050
8. [8]
  Heo, J. H.; Han, H. J.; Lee, M.; Song, M.; Kim, D. H.; Im, S. H. Energy Environ. Sci. 2015, 8, 2922. doi: 10.1039/c5ee01050k doi: 10.1039/c5ee01050k
9. [9]
  Xiao, M.; Huang, F.; Huang, W.; Dkhissi, Y.; Zhu, Y.; Etheridge, J.; Gray-Weale, A.; Bach, U.; Cheng, Y. B.; Spiccia, L. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 9898. doi: 10.1002/anie.201405334 doi: 10.1002/anie.201405334
10. [10]
  Bu, T.; Wen, M.; Zou, H.; Wu, J.; Zhou, P.; Li, W.; Ku, Z.; Peng, Y.; Li, Q.; Huang, F.; Cheng, Y. B.; Zhong, J. Solar Energy 2016, 139, 290. doi: 10.1016/j.solener.2016.10.003 doi: 10.1016/j.solener.2016.10.003
11. [11]
  Bai, S.; Sakai, N.; Zhang, W.; Wang, Z.; Wang, J. T. W.; Gao, F.; Snaith, H. J. Chem. Mater. 2017, 29, 462. doi: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.6b05159 doi: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.6b05159
12. [12]
  Heo, J. H.; Han, H. J.; Kim, D.; Ahn, T. K.; Im, S. H. Energy Environ. Sci. 2015, 8, 1602. doi: 10.1039/c5ee00120j doi: 10.1039/c5ee00120j
13. [13]
  Chen, K.; Hu, Q.; Liu, T.; Zhao, L.; Luo, D.; Wu, J.; Zhang, Y.; Zhang, W.; Liu, F.; Russell, T. P.; Zhu, R.; Gong, Q. Adv. Mater. 2016, 28, 10718. doi: 10.1002/adma.201604048 doi: 10.1002/adma.201604048
14. [14]
  Chiang, C. H.; Nazeeruddin, M. K.; Grätzel, M.; Wu, C. G. Energy Environ. Sci. 2017, 10, 808. doi: 10.1039/c6ee03586h doi: 10.1039/c6ee03586h
15. [15]
  Yan, W.; Ye, S.; Li, Y.; Sun, W.; Rao, H.; Liu, Z.; Bian, Z.; Huang, C. Adv. Energy Mater. 2016, 6, 1600474. doi: 10.1002/aenm.201600474 doi: 10.1002/aenm.201600474
16. [16]
  Li, Y.; Sun, W.; Yan, W.; Ye, S.; Rao, H.; Peng, H.; Zhao, Z.; Bian, Z.; Liu, Z.; Zhou, H.; Huang, C. Adv. Energy Mater. 2016, 6, 1601353. doi: 10.1002/aenm.201601353 doi: 10.1002/aenm.201601353
17. [17]
  Yan, W.; Rao, H.; Wei, C.; Liu, Z.; Bian, Z.; Xin, H.; Huang, W. Nano Energy 2017, 35, 62. doi: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2017.03.001 doi: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2017.03.001
18. [18]
  Ye, S.; Rao, H.; Zhao, Z.; Zhang, L.; Bao, H.; Sun, W.; Li, Y.; Gu, F.; Wang, J.; Liu, Z.; Bian, Z.; Huang, C. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 7504. doi: 10.1021/jacs.7b01439 doi: 10.1021/jacs.7b01439
19. [19]
  Luo, D.; Zhao, L.; Wu, J.; Hu, Q.; Zhang, Y.; Xu, Z.; Liu, Y.; Liu, T.; Chen, K.; Yang, W.; Zhang, W.; Zhu, R.; Gong, Q. Adv. Mater. 2017, 29, 1604758. doi: 10.1002/adma.201604758 doi: 10.1002/adma.201604758
20. [20]
  Wu, Y.; Yang, X.; Chen, W.; Yue, Y.; Cai, M.; Xie, F.; Bi, E.; Islam, A.; Han, L. Nat. Energy 2016, 1, 16148. doi: 10.1038/nenergy.2016.148 doi: 10.1038/nenergy.2016.148
21. [21]
  Liu, X.; Yu, H.; Yan, L.; Dong, Q.; Wan, Q.; Zhou, Y.; Song, B.; Li, Y. ACS Appl. Mater. Inter. 2015, 7, 6230. doi: 10.1021/acsami.5b00468 doi: 10.1021/acsami.5b00468
22. [22]
  Qiu, W.; Buffière, M.; Brammertz, G.; Paetzold, U. W.; Froyen, L.; Heremans, P.; Cheyns, D. Org. Electron. 2015, 26, 30. doi: 10.1016/j.orgel.2015.06.046 doi: 10.1016/j.orgel.2015.06.046
23. [23]
  You, J.; Meng, L.; Song, T. B.; Guo, T. F.; Yang, Y. M.; Chang, W. H.; Hong, Z.; Chen, H.; Zhou, H.; Chen, Q.; Liu, Y.; De Marco, N.; Yang, Y. Nat. Nanotechnol. 2016, 11, 75. doi: 10.1038/nnano.2015.230 doi: 10.1038/nnano.2015.230
24. [24]
  Liang, P. W.; Chueh, C. C.; Williams, S. T.; Jen, A. K. Y. Adv. Energy Mater. 2015, 5, 1402321. doi: 10.1002/aenm.201402321 doi: 10.1002/aenm.201402321
25. [25]
  Meng, X.; Bai, Y.; Xiao, S.; Zhang, T.; Hu, C.; Yang, Y.; Zheng, X.; Yang, S. Nano Energy 2016, 30, 341. doi: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2016.10.026 doi: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2016.10.026
26. [26]
  Wang, Q.; Shao, Y.; Dong, Q.; Xiao, Z.; Yuan, Y.; Huang, J. Energy Environ. Sci. 2014, 7, 2359. doi: 10.1039/C4EE00233D doi: 10.1039/C4EE00233D
27. [27]
  Chen, W.; Wu, Y.; Yue, Y.; Liu, J.; Zhang, W.; Yang, X.; Chen, H.; Bi, E.; Ashraful, I.; Grätzel, M.; Han, L. Science 2015, 350, 944. doi: 10.1126/science.aad1015 doi: 10.1126/science.aad1015
28. [28]
  Liu, X.; Lin, F.; Chueh, C. C.; Chen, Q.; Zhao, T.; Liang, P. W.; Zhu, Z.; Sun, Y.; Jen, A. K. Y. Nano Energy 2016, 30, 417. doi: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2016.10.036 doi: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2016.10.036
29. [29]
  Dai, S. M.; Tian, H. R.; Zhang, M. L.; Xing, Z.; Wang, L. Y.; Wang, X.; Wang, T.; Deng, L. L.; Xie, S. Y.; Huang, R. B.; Zheng, L. S. J. Power Sources 2017, 339, 27. doi: 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2016.11.047 doi: 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2016.11.047
30. [30]
  Yang, G.; Tao, H.; Qin, P.; Ke, W.; Fang, G. J. Mater. Chem. A 2016, 4, 3970. doi: 10.1039/c5ta09011c doi: 10.1039/c5ta09011c
31. [31]
  Tian, C.; Kochiss, K.; Castro, E.; Betancourt-Solis, G.; Han, H.; Echegoyen, L. J. Mater. Chem. A 2017, 5, 7326. doi: 10.1039/c7ta00362e doi: 10.1039/c7ta00362e
32. [32]
  Chang, C. Y.; Huang, W. K.; Chang, Y. C.; Lee, K. T.; Chen, C. T. J. Mater. Chem. A 2016, 4, 640. doi: 10.1039/c5ta09080f doi: 10.1039/c5ta09080f
33. [33]
  Seo, J.; Park, S.; Chan Kim, Y.; Jeon, N. J.; Noh, J. H.; Yoon, S. C.; Seok, S. I. Energy Environ. Sci. 2014, 7, 2642. doi: 10.1039/c4ee01216j doi: 10.1039/c4ee01216j
34. [34]
  Bin, Z.; Li, J.; Wang, L.; Duan, L. Energy Environ. Sci. 2016, 9, 3424. doi: 10.1039/c6ee01987k doi: 10.1039/c6ee01987k
35. [35]
  Yin, X.; Xu, Z.; Guo, Y.; Xu, P.; He, M. ACS Appl. Mater. Interface 2016, 8, 29580. doi: 10.1021/acsami.6b09326 doi: 10.1021/acsami.6b09326
36. [36]
  Yin, X.; Guo, Y.; Xue, Z.; Xu, P.; He, M.; Liu, B. Nano Res. 2015, 8, 1997. doi: 10.1007/s12274-015-0711-4 doi: 10.1007/s12274-015-0711-4
37. [37]
  Dong, F.; Guo, Y.; Xu, P.; Yin, X.; Li, Y.; He, M. Sci. China Mater. 2017, 60, 295. doi: 10.1007/s40843-017-9009-8 doi: 10.1007/s40843-017-9009-8
38. [38]
  Liu, D.; Kelly, T. L. Nat. Photon. 2014, 8, 133. doi: 10.1038/nphoton.2013.342 doi: 10.1038/nphoton.2013.342
39. [39]
  Chen, W.; Wu, Y.; Liu, J.; Qin, C.; Yang, X.; Islam, A.; Cheng, Y. B.; Han, L. Energy Environ. Sci. 2015, 8, 629. doi: 10.1039/c4ee02833c doi: 10.1039/c4ee02833c
40. [40]
  Hu, L.; Peng, J.; Wang, W.; Xia, Z.; Yuan, J.; Lu, J.; Huang, X.; Ma, W.; Song, H.; Chen, W.; Cheng, Y. B.; Tang, J. ACS Photonics 2014, 1, 547. doi: 10.1021/ph5000067 doi: 10.1021/ph5000067
41. [41]
  Sun, Q.; Wang, H.; Yang, C.; Li, Y. J. Mater. Chem. 2003, 13, 800. doi: 10.1039/B209469J doi: 10.1039/B209469J
42. [42]
  Sun, C.; Wu, Z.; Yip, H. L.; Zhang, H.; Jiang, X. F.; Xue, Q.; Hu, Z.; Hu, Z.; Shen, Y.; Wang, M.; Huang, F.; Cao, Y. Adv. Energy Mater. 2016, 6, 1501534. doi: 10.1002/aenm.201501534 doi: 10.1002/aenm.201501534
43. [43]
  Kim, H. S.; Seo, J. Y.; Park, N. G. J. Phys. Chem. C 2016, 120, 27840. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.6b09412 doi: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.6b09412
1. [1]
  Haowen Shang , Yujie Yang , Bingjie Xue , Yikai Wang , Zhiyi Su , Wenlong Liu , Youzhi Wu , Xinjun Xu . Efficient solution-processed near-infrared organic light-emitting diodes with a binary-mixed electron transport layer. Chinese Chemical Letters, 2025, 36(4): 110511-. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2024.110511
2. [2]
  Xinyu Yu , Fei Wu , Xianglang Sun , Linna Zhu , Baoyu Xia , Zhong'an Li . Low-cost dopant-free fluoranthene-based branched hole transporting materials for efficient and stable n-i-p perovskite solar cells. Chinese Chemical Letters, 2024, 35(10): 109821-. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2024.109821
3. [3]
  Chi Li , Peng Gao . Is dipole the only thing that matters for inverted perovskite solar cells?. Chinese Journal of Structural Chemistry, 2024, 43(6): 100324-100324. doi: 10.1016/j.cjsc.2024.100324
4. [4]
  Boyuan Hu , Jian Zhang , Yulin Yang , Yayu Dong , Jiaqi Wang , Wei Wang , Kaifeng Lin , Debin Xia . Dual-functional POM@IL complex modulate hole transport layer properties and interfacial charge dynamics for highly efficient and stable perovskite solar cells. Chinese Chemical Letters, 2024, 35(7): 108933-. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2023.108933
5. [5]
  Rongjun Zhao , Tai Wu , Yong Hua , Yude Wang . Improving performance of perovskite solar cells enabled by defects passivation and carrier transport dynamics regulation via organic additive. Chinese Chemical Letters, 2025, 36(2): 109587-. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2024.109587
6. [6]
  Kangrong Yan , Ziqiu Shen , Yanchun Huang , Benfang Niu , Hongzheng Chen , Chang-Zhi Li . Curing the vulnerable heterointerface via organic-inorganic hybrid hole transporting bilayers for efficient inverted perovskite solar cells. Chinese Chemical Letters, 2024, 35(6): 109516-. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2024.109516
7. [7]
  Shaonan Liu , Shuixing Dai , Minghua Huang . The impact of ester groups on 1,8-naphthalimide electron transport material in organic solar cells. Chinese Journal of Structural Chemistry, 2024, 43(6): 100277-100277. doi: 10.1016/j.cjsc.2024.100277
8. [8]
  Qing Xue , Shengyi Li , Yanan Zhao , Peng Sheng , Li Xu , Zhengxi Li , Bo Zhang , Hui Li , Bo Wang , Libin Yang , Yuliang Cao , Zhongxue Chen . Novel Alkaline Sodium-Ion Battery Capacitor Based on Active Carbon||Na_0.44MnO₂ towards Low Cost, High-Rate Capability and Long-Term Lifespan. Acta Physico-Chimica Sinica, 2024, 40(2): 2303041-0. doi: 10.3866/PKU.WHXB202303041
9. [9]
  Zhuo Han , Danfeng Zhang , Haixian Wang , Guorui Zheng , Ming Liu , Yanbing He . Research Progress and Prospect on Electrolyte Additives for Interface Reconstruction of Long-Life Ni-Rich Lithium Batteries. Acta Physico-Chimica Sinica, 2024, 40(9): 2307034-0. doi: 10.3866/PKU.WHXB202307034
10. [10]
  Yaohua Li , Qi Cao , Xuanhua Li . Tailoring the configuration of polymer passivators in perovskite solar cells. Chinese Journal of Structural Chemistry, 2025, 44(2): 100413-100413. doi: 10.1016/j.cjsc.2024.100413
11. [11]
  Xuan Wang , Peng Sun , Siteng Yuan , Lu Yue , Yufeng Zhao . P2-type low-cost and moisture-stable cathode for sodium-ion batteries. Chinese Chemical Letters, 2025, 36(5): 110015-. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2024.110015
12. [12]
  Chen Lu , Zefeng Yu , Jing Cao . Advancement in porphyrin/phthalocyanine compounds-based perovskite solar cells. Chinese Journal of Structural Chemistry, 2024, 43(3): 100240-100240. doi: 10.1016/j.cjsc.2024.100240
13. [13]
  Fei Jin , Bolin Yang , Xuanpu Wang , Teng Li , Noritatsu Tsubaki , Zhiliang Jin . Facilitating efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution via enhanced carrier migration at MOF-on-MOF S-scheme heterojunction interfaces through a graphdiyne (CnH2n-2) electron transport layer. Chinese Journal of Structural Chemistry, 2023, 42(12): 100198-100198. doi: 10.1016/j.cjsc.2023.100198
14. [14]
  Bo Yang , Pu-An Lin , Tingwei Zhou , Xiaojia Zheng , Bing Cai , Wen-Hua Zhang . Facile surface regulation for highly efficient and thermally stable perovskite solar cells via chlormequat chloride. Chinese Chemical Letters, 2024, 35(10): 109425-. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2023.109425
15. [15]
  Yajie Yang , Mengde Zhai , Haoxin Wang , Cheng Chen , Ziyang Xia , Chengyang Liu , Yi Tian , Ming Cheng . Molecular engineering of dibenzo-heterocyclic core based hole-transporting materials for perovskite solar cells. Chinese Chemical Letters, 2025, 36(5): 110700-. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2024.110700
16. [16]
  Chengcheng Xie , Chengyi Xiao , Hongshuo Niu , Guitao Feng , Weiwei Li . Mesoporous organic solar cells. Chinese Chemical Letters, 2024, 35(11): 109849-. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2024.109849
17. [17]
  Rui Liu , Yue Yu , Lu Deng , Maoxia Xu , Haorong Ren , Wenjie Luo , Xudong Cai , Zhenyu Li , Jingyu Chen , Hua Yu . The synergistic effect of A-site cation engineering and phase regulation enables efficient and stable Ruddlesden-Popper perovskite solar cells. Chinese Chemical Letters, 2024, 35(12): 109545-. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2024.109545
18. [18]
  Hao Zhang , Haonan Qu , Ehsan Bahojb Noruzi , Haibing Li , Feng Liang . A nanocomposite film with layer-by-layer self-assembled gold nanospheres driven by cucurbit[7]uril for the selective transport of L-tryptophan and lysozyme. Chinese Chemical Letters, 2025, 36(1): 109731-. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2024.109731
19. [19]
  Yinglan Yu , Sajid Hussain , Jianping Qi , Lei Luo , Xuemei Zhang . Mechanisms and applications: Cargos transport to basolateral membranes in polarized epithelial cells. Chinese Chemical Letters, 2024, 35(12): 109673-. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2024.109673
20. [20]
  Changsheng Yang , Yuhang Jiang , Panpan Yu , Shiguo Han , Shihai You , Zeng-Kui Zhu , Zihao Yu , Junhua Luo . Realizing self-powered broadband photodetection with low detection limit in a trilayered perovskite ferroelectric. Chinese Chemical Letters, 2025, 36(8): 110218-. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2024.110218

Get Citation

PDF

XML

Metrics

PDF Downloads(21)
Abstract views(942)
HTML views(176)

通讯作者: 陈斌, bchen63@163.com

1.
沈阳化工大学材料科学与工程学院沈阳 110142