Molecular Tailoring of Pyridine Core-Based Hole Selective Layer for Lead Free Double Perovskite Solar Cells Fabrication.

To solve the toxicity issues related to lead-based halide perovskite solar cells, the lead-free double halide perovskite Cs ₂ AgBiBr ₆ is proposed. However, reduced rate of charge transfer in double perovskites affects optoelectronic performance. We designed a series of pyridine-based small molecules with four different arms attached to the pyridine core as hole-selective materials by using interface engineering. We quantified how arm modulation affects the structure-property-device performance relationship. Electrical, structural, and spectroscopic investigations show that the N ³ , N ³ , N ⁶ , N ⁶ -tetrakis(4-methoxyphenyl)-9 H -carbazole-3,6-diamine arm's robust association with the pyridine core results in an efficient hole extraction for PyDAnCBZ due to higher spin density close to the pyridine core. The solar cells fabricated using Cs ₂ AgBiBr ₆ as a light harvester and PyDAnCBZ as the hole selective layer measured an unprecedented 2.9% power conversion efficiency. Our computed road map suggests achieving ∼5% efficiency through fine-tuning of Cs ₂ AgBiBr ₆ . Our findings reveal the principles for designing small molecules for electro-optical applications as well as a synergistic route to develop inorganic lead-free perovskite materials for solar applications.
Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest.
(© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)