Mesoscopic solid-state solar cells based on the inorganic-organic hybrid perovskite CH3NH3PbI3 in conjunction with the amorphous organic semiconductor spiro-MeOTAD as a hole transport material (HTM) are investigated using impedance spectroscopy (IS). A model to interpret the frequency response of these devices is established by expanding and elaborating on the existing models used for the liquid and solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells. Furthermore, the influence of changing the additive concentrations of tert-butylpyridine and LiTFSI in the HTM and varying the HTM overlayer thickness on top of the sub-micrometer thick TiO2 on the extracted IS parameters is investigated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe internal transport and recombination parameters of solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (ssDSCs) using the amorphous organic semiconductor 2,2',7,7'-tetrakis(N,N-di-p-methoxyphenylamine)-9,9'-spirobifluorene (spiro-MeOTAD) as a hole transport material (HTM) are investigated using electrical impedance spectroscopy. Devices were fabricated using flat and nanostructured TiO2 and compared to systems using nanostructured ZrO2 to differentiate between the transport processes within the different components of the ssDSC. The effect of chemically p-doping the HTM on its transport was investigated, and its temperature dependence was examined and analyzed using the Arrhenius equation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChemical doping is an important strategy to alter the charge-transport properties of both molecular and polymeric organic semiconductors that find widespread application in organic electronic devices. We report on the use of a new class of Co(III) complexes as p-type dopants for triarylamine-based hole conductors such as spiro-MeOTAD and their application in solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (ssDSCs). We show that the proposed compounds fulfill the requirements for this application and that the discussed strategy is promising for tuning the conductivity of spiro-MeOTAD in ssDSCs, without having to rely on the commonly employed photo-doping.
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