Novel electrolytes for high-performance dye-sensitized solar cells

Over the past few decades, new classes of solution-processable hole transport materials (HTMs) for dye-sensitized and perovskite solar cells have evolved. However, with research focusing mainly on organic materials, the use of transition metal complexes (TMCs) as HTMs is an area that remains largely unexplored. TMCs offer opportunity to tailor both the optoelectronic and physical properties through ligand design and choice of metal centre. Here, at Monash, we have synthesized new cobalt and earth-abundant iron complexes of high stability. These solution-processible TMCs were used in high performing thin film solar cells to showcase their general applicability ^[1,2].

1. Kashif, M. K. et al. Cobalt Polypyridyl Complexes as Transparent Solution-Processable Solid-State Charge Transport Materials. 1–13
2. Kashif, M. K. et al. Polypyridyl Iron Complex as a Hole- Transporting Material for Formamidinium Lead Bromide Perovskite Solar Cells. 1855–1859 (2017). doi:10.1021/acsenergylett.7b00522