In plain words
Perovskite solar cells are one of the most exciting discoveries in solar energy of the last fifteen years. They are cheap to make and already about as efficient as silicon. But a solar cell is a sandwich of layers, and each layer has a job. One of them — the hole-transport layer — carries positive charges out of the cell and into the wire.
Most cells today use a very expensive molecule for this layer. We design cheaper alternatives that work just as well, and that also help protect the delicate perovskite from moisture and defects, so the cell lasts longer.
The science
- Design and synthesis of small-molecule hole-transport materials (HTMs) built from pyrene, porphyrin, bifluorenylidene, carbazole and phenothiazine cores.
- Dopant-free HTMs that avoid the hygroscopic additives which degrade cells.
- Interface passivation — molecules whose functional groups also heal defects at the perovskite surface (“dual passivation–transport”).
- Perovskite nanocrystals and their surface chemistry for photo-responsive devices.
What we’re working on now
Recent HTMs from the group — including a DBC–pyrene design published in Small (2026) and bifluorenylidene-based materials — enable efficient and more robust perovskite solar cells.