# Improved Perovskite Solar Cells with an Environmentally Friendly Phthalocyanine Hole Extracting Interlayer

## TL;DR

Researchers improved perovskite solar cells by using a phthalocyanine interlayer, boosting efficiency and stability in a more eco-friendly way.

## Contribution

A new phthalocyanine interlayer is introduced to enhance perovskite solar cell performance and stability with an environmentally friendly synthesis method.

## Key findings

- Efficiency increased from 18.4% to 20.2% under standard conditions.
- Indoor efficiency improved from 27.3% to 30.1%.
- Device stability increased, with T80 rising from 1134 h to 1347 h under ISOS-D1 tests.

## Abstract

We investigate the use of phthalocyanine, from the family
of multipurpose
functional organic complexes, as an interlayer between the hole-selective
contact and the perovskite in self-assembled monolayer-based p-i-n
perovskite solar cells. This phthalocyanine interlayer effectively
mitigated recombination losses that were occurring between the self-assembled
hole-extraction monolayer based on the carbazole functional group
and the perovskite film. Furthermore, the crystallinity of the perovskite
semiconductor was enhanced, which reduced nonradiative recombination
and resulted in an increase in shunt resistance and a higher open-circuit
voltage. The efficiency improved from 18.4% to 20.2%. A similar boost
in efficiency was found under indoor lighting conditions (from 27.3%
to 30.1%). The tetra-3,5-dimethylphenoxy-zinc phthalocyanine (DMPO4)
molecule synthesized for this work also enhanced device stability
under ISOS-D1 tests with the average T
80 increasing from 1134 h to 1347 h with its incorporation. A purpose-designed
synthetic strategy, yielding a total E-factor below
200, broadens the practical applicability of these versatile and cost-effective
molecular materials.