Dithiafulvalene‐Based Hole Transport Materials Enabling Efficient and Stable n‑i‑p Perovskite Solar Cells via a Robust Doping‑Oxidation Mechanism

ABSTRACT The stability of conventional hole transport materials (HTMs, e.g., Spiro‑OMeTAD) in n‑i‑p perovskite solar cells (PSCs) remains a critical challenge, particularly due to the unstable nitrogen‑centered radical cations ([Ar 3 N] ·+ ) generated during their p‑type doping oxidation. Herein, three indenofluorene (IF)‐based HTMs substituted with fluorene and 1,4‐dithiafulvalene (DTF) units were designed and synthesized, denoted IF‑FF, IF‑TF and IF‑TT. The incorporation of the DTF unit endows IF‑TT with improved planarity, optimized energy‑level alignment, enhanced stacking orientation, and effective interfacial passivation. More importantly, through cooperative doping‑oxidation with Magic Blue and LiTFSI, IF‑TT generates highly delocalized, structurally stable sulfur‑centered radical cations ([DTF] ·+ ), which greatly accelerates the post‐oxidation process. Notably, IF‑TT ·+ exhibits stronger interaction with LiTFSI than Spiro‑OMeTAD ·+ , resulting in a higher concentration of more stable radicals upon doping. Consequently, IF‑TT displays superior doping stability and charge‑transport properties. As a result, IF‑TT‑based PSCs achieve a remarkable power conversion efficiency of 25.89%, outperforming Spiro‑OMeTAD‑based devices (25.29%). Furthermore, the enhanced radical stability and improved film characteristics endow IF‑TT‑based devices with exceptional operational stability. This study highlights that stabilizing the radical species generated during doping is a key strategy for synergistically improving both the efficiency and long‑term stability of PSCs.

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Publication Details

Journal
Angewandte Chemie
Published
2026-09-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.1115640
Primary Topic
Perovskite Materials and Applications
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Dithiafulvalene‐Based Hole Transport Materials Enabling Efficient and Stable n‑i‑p Perovskite Solar Cells via a Robust Doping‑Oxidation Mechanism

Xunfan Liao, Aihui Liang, Yiwang Chen, Xunchang Wang et al.
Angewandte Chemie
Perovskite Materials and Applications
article

Dithiafulvalene‐Based Hole Transport Materials Enabling Efficient and Stable n‑i‑p Perovskite Solar Cells via a Robust Doping‑Oxidation Mechanism

Xunfan Liao, Aihui Liang, Yiwang Chen, Xunchang Wang, Xing Chen, Zexu Lu, Wei Yi, Yonglong Yang, Ling Chen, Zhengyang Dong, Gang Xie
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT The stability of conventional hole transport materials (HTMs, e.g., Spiro‑OMeTAD) in n‑i‑p perovskite solar cells (PSCs) remains a critical challenge, particularly due to the unstable nitrogen‑centered radical cations ([Ar 3 N] ·+ ) generated during their p‑type doping oxidation. Herein, three indenofluorene (IF)‐based HTMs substituted with fluorene and 1,4‐dithiafulvalene (DTF) units were designed and synthesized, denoted IF‑FF, IF‑TF and IF‑TT. The incorporation of the DTF unit endows IF‑TT with improved planarity, optimized energy‑level alignment, enhanced stacking orientation, and effective interfacial passivation. More importantly, through cooperative doping‑oxidation with Magic Blue and LiTFSI, IF‑TT generates highly delocalized, structurally stable sulfur‑centered radical cations ([DTF] ·+ ), which greatly accelerates the post‐oxidation process. Notably, IF‑TT ·+ exhibits stronger interaction with LiTFSI than Spiro‑OMeTAD ·+ , resulting in a higher concentration of more stable radicals upon doping. Consequently, IF‑TT displays superior doping stability and charge‑transport properties. As a result, IF‑TT‑based PSCs achieve a remarkable power conversion efficiency of 25.89%, outperforming Spiro‑OMeTAD‑based devices (25.29%). Furthermore, the enhanced radical stability and improved film characteristics endow IF‑TT‑based devices with exceptional operational stability. This study highlights that stabilizing the radical species generated during doping is a key strategy for synergistically improving both the efficiency and long‑term stability of PSCs.

Angewandte Chemie
Jianghan University (CN), Gannan Normal University (CN), Jiangxi Normal University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 20%
Perovskite Materials and Applications
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