Doped but stable: spirobisacridine hole transporting materials for hysteresis-free and stable perovskite solar cells

摘要： Four spirobisacridine (SBA) hole-transporting materials were synthesized and employed in perovskite solar cells (PSC). The molecules bear electronically inert alkyl chains of different length and bulkiness, attached to in-plane N-atoms of nearly orthogonal spiro-connected acridines. Di-p-methoxyphenylamine (DMPA) substituents tailored to the central SBA-platform define electronic properties of the materials mimicking the structure of the benchmark 2,2’,7,7’-tetrakis-(N,N-di-4-methoxyphenylamino)-9,9’-spirobifluorene (spiro-MeOTAD), while the alkyl pending groups affect molecular packing in thin film and affect long-term performance of PSCs. Devices with SBA-based hole transporting layers (HTL) attain efficiencies on par with spiro-MeOTAD. More importantly, solar cells with the new HTMs are hysteresis-free and demonstrate good operational stability, despite being doped as spiro-MeOTAD. The best performing MeSBA-DMPA retained 88% of the initial efficiency after 1000 h ageing test under a constant illumination. The results clearly demonstrate: SBA-based compounds are potent candidates for a design of new HTMs for PSCs with improved longevity.