oCVD PEDOT-Cl Thin Film Fabricated by SbCl₅ Oxidant as the Hole Transport Layer to Enhance the Perovskite Solar Cell Device Stability

Abstract

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) exhibit remarkable power conversion efficiency (PCE) but face limitations due to poor stability, restricting their practical applications. The commonly used hole transport layer, poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS), suffers from inherent acidity that compromises PSCs device stability through detrimental interactions with the counter electrode and perovskite layer. This study explores the use of oxidative chemical vapor deposition (oCVD) with antimony pentachloride (SbCl 5 ) as a liquid oxidant to fabricate stable, ultrathin, and highly conformal PEDOT thin films, presenting a promising alternative for the hole transport layer in PSCs. The oCVD PEDOT-Cl thin films, grown using liquid SbCl 5 oxidant, demonstrate excellent optoelectronic properties, precise control over nanostructure, stability, and integration capabilities, making them a robust and efficient choice as a hole transport layer. Integration of oCVD PEDOT-Cl thin films as the hole transport layer in PSCs yields a remarkable PCE of 20.74%, surpassing the PCE of 16.53% obtained by spin-coated PEDOT:PSS thin films treated with the dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) polar solvent. Furthermore, PSCs incorporating oCVD PEDOT-Cl thin films demonstrate a notable 2.5× enhancement in stability compared to PEDOT:PSS-DMSO counterparts. Utilizing as-deposited oCVD PEDOT-Cl thin films fabricated using SbCl 5 oxidant with highly conformal characteristics introduces opportunities for enhancing light absorption by the photoactive layer through artificially textured surfaces. This advancement opens up possibilities for the development of PSCs with high performance and enhanced stability.

Chemical vapor deposition of high charge carrier mobility benzothiadiazole-based conjugated polymer thin films

“…37 Post-deposition rinsing with methanol or acids can remove both residual oxidants and unreacted monomers in oCVD thin films and therefore improve their electrical properties. 29,32 Another potential improvement may involve the use of liquid oxidants, such as antimony pentachloride (SbCl 5 ), 38,39 in replacement of solid oxidants like FeCl 3 whose by-products are well known to remain in the oCVD thin films. 37…”

“…31–33 Such a feature was previously exploited to increase the lifetime of electronically excited states, 34 and enhance the sensing 35 and catalytic properties 36 of conjugated polymer thin films prepared via the oCVD of polycyclic aromatic compounds. Upon reaction with a suitable oxidizing agent, 29,37–39 both simple electron-rich monoaromatic compounds 30,32,38,40 and polycyclic aromatic compounds 31,34–36,39 can be polymerized via oCVD. A recent report has demonstrated that conjugated polymer thin films can even be grown from electron-poor aromatic compounds, e.g.…”

Optimizing Mixed-Model Synchronous Assembly Lines with Bipartite Sequence-Dependent Setup Times in Advanced Manufacturing

“…Improving competitiveness and sustainability in all industry sectors, including semiconductor manufacturing, is crucial for securing market share and ensuring business success. This is particularly evident in semiconductor manufacturing, which utilizes various chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods [9][10][11] for both inorganic semiconductors [9,12] and organic conducting polymers [11,[13][14][15][16][17][18] across a wide range of electronic and optoelectronic applications.…”