Enhancing the Hole-Conductivity of Spiro-OMeTAD without Oxygen or Lithium Salts by Using Spiro(TFSI)2 in Perovskite and Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Abstract

2,2′,7,7′-Tetrakis(N,N-di-p-methoxyphenylamine)-9,9′-spirobifluorene (spiro-OMeTAD), the prevalent organic hole transport material used in solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells and perovskite-absorber solar cells, relies on an uncontrolled oxidative process to reach appreciable conductivity. This work presents the use of a dicationic salt of spiro-OMeTAD, named spiro(TFSI)2, as a facile means of controllably increasing the conductivity of spiro-OMeTAD up to 10–3 S cm–1 without relying on oxidation in air. Spiro(TFSI)2 enables the first demonstration of solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells fabricated and operated with the complete exclusion of oxygen after deposition of the sensitizer with higher and more reproducible device performance. Perovskite-absorber solar cells fabricated with spiro(TFSI)2 show improved operating stability in an inert atmosphere. Gaining control of the conductivity of the HTM in both dye-sensitized and perovskite-absorber solar cells in an inert atmosphere using spiro(TFSI)2 is an important step toward the commercialization of these technologies.