Investigating the Role of 4- Tert Butylpyridine in Perovskite Solar Cells.

The majority of hole-transporting layers used in n-i-p perovskite solar cells contain 4- tert butylpyridine ( tBP). High power-conversion efficiencies and, in particular, good steady-state performance appears to be contingent on the inclusion of this additive. On the quest to improve the steady state efficiencies of the carbon nanotube-based hole-transporter system, this study has found that the presence of tBP results in an extraordinary improvement in the performance of these devices. By deconstructing a prototypical device and investigating the effect of tBP on each individual layer, the results of this study indicate that this performance enhancement must be due to a direct chemical interaction between tBP and the perovskite material. This study proposes that tBP serves to p-dope the perovskite layer and investigates this theory with poling and work function measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]