Application of conjugated reduced graphene oxide-polythiophene derivatives as HTM in perovskite solar cells

• Grant number: 18/02084-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: June 01, 2018
• End date: May 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Maria Aparecida Zaghete Bertochi
• Grantee: Bruna Andressa Bregadiolli
• Supervisor: Alan Sellinger
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Colorado School of Mines, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 17/07627-0 - Synthesis of conjugated reduced graphene oxide-polythiophene derivatives for application as HTM in perovskite solar cells, BP.PD

Abstract

The development of devices that efficiently convert sunlight into electricity using low-cost processes is tremendously important going forward in order to slow down carbon emissions and subsequent climate change. Perovskite solar cells (PSC) is one such new family of devices that has shown unparalled increasing efficiency values from 5% to 22.7% over the past 5-7 years. One important material in a perovskite solar cell is the hole transport material (HTM) that is generally spiro-O-MeTAD. Despite the advances of this technology using this HTM, it is still considered a bottle neck because of its high cost and instability. Thus, in this project we propose to design and prepare a new class of HTMs for use in perovskite solar cells with low cost and high stability. These new materials are being constituted by a donor-À-acceptor anchoring groups to be covalently bonded to the carbon-derived conductive compounds forming a conjugated À-system that will permit and facilitate the transport of charges into graphene compounds. Here we propose the PSC processing and characterization of devices in collaboration with the group of Prof. Alan Sellinger at the Colorado School of Mines and National Renewable Energy Laboratory NREL) both in Golden, CO USA. Both od these labs have the most modern and efficient techniques for processing and characterization of devices, as well as in-depth reliability studies on their reproducibility, charge transport and stability.