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Cheng F, Zhan S, Cai Y, Cao F, Dai X, Xu R, Yin J, Li J, Zheng N, Wu B. Interfacial Property Tuning Enables Copper Electrodes in High-Performance n-i-p Perovskite Solar Cells. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:20081-20087. [PMID: 37639328 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c07222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Developing cost-effective metal electrodes is essential for reducing the overall cost of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Although copper is highly conductive and economical, it is rarely used as a positive electrode in efficient n-i-p PSCs due to its unmatched Fermi level and low oxidation threshold. We report herein that modification for the inner surface of electrodes using mercaptopyridine-based molecules readily tunes the electronic and chemical properties of copper, which has been achieved by fine-tuning the substituents of mercaptopyridines. The systematic adjustment for the Fermi level and oxidation potential of copper facilitates interfacial hole extraction and enhances the oxidation resistance of copper electrodes, which enables pure copper electrodes to be used in high-performance n-i-p PSCs with different hole transport materials. The resulting PSCs with copper electrodes display excellent power conversion efficiency and long-term stability, even comparable to those of the gold electrodes, showing great potential in the manufacturing and commercialization of PSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangwen Cheng
- State Key Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Preparation Technology of Nanomaterials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Pen-Tung Sah Institute of Micro-Nano Science and Technology, Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Shaoqi Zhan
- Department of Chemistry - BMC, Uppsala University, BMC Box 576, S-751 23 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Yuanting Cai
- State Key Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Preparation Technology of Nanomaterials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Pen-Tung Sah Institute of Micro-Nano Science and Technology, Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Fang Cao
- State Key Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Preparation Technology of Nanomaterials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Pen-Tung Sah Institute of Micro-Nano Science and Technology, Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Xinfeng Dai
- State Key Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Preparation Technology of Nanomaterials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Pen-Tung Sah Institute of Micro-Nano Science and Technology, Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Ruchao Xu
- State Key Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Preparation Technology of Nanomaterials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Pen-Tung Sah Institute of Micro-Nano Science and Technology, Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Jun Yin
- State Key Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Preparation Technology of Nanomaterials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Pen-Tung Sah Institute of Micro-Nano Science and Technology, Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Jing Li
- State Key Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Preparation Technology of Nanomaterials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Pen-Tung Sah Institute of Micro-Nano Science and Technology, Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Nanfeng Zheng
- State Key Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Preparation Technology of Nanomaterials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Pen-Tung Sah Institute of Micro-Nano Science and Technology, Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Binghui Wu
- State Key Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Preparation Technology of Nanomaterials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Pen-Tung Sah Institute of Micro-Nano Science and Technology, Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
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2
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Ossowski J, Wächter T, Silies L, Kind M, Noworolska A, Blobner F, Gnatek D, Rysz J, Bolte M, Feulner P, Terfort A, Cyganik P, Zharnikov M. Thiolate versus Selenolate: Structure, Stability, and Charge Transfer Properties. ACS NANO 2015; 9:4508-4526. [PMID: 25857927 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.5b01109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Selenolate is considered as an alternative to thiolate to serve as a headgroup mediating the formation of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on coinage metal substrates. There are, however, ongoing vivid discussions regarding the advantages and disadvantages of these anchor groups, regarding, in particular, the energetics of the headgroup-substrate interface and their efficiency in terms of charge transport/transfer. Here we introduce a well-defined model system of 6-cyanonaphthalene-2-thiolate and -selenolate SAMs on Au(111) to resolve these controversies. The exact structural arrangements in both types of SAMs are somewhat different, suggesting a better SAM-building ability in the case of selenolates. At the same time, both types of SAMs have similar packing densities and molecular orientations. This permitted reliable competitive exchange and ion-beam-induced desorption experiments which provided unequivocal evidence for a stronger bonding of selenolates to the substrate as compared to the thiolates. Regardless of this difference, the dynamic charge transfer properties of the thiolate- and selenolate-based adsorbates were found to be nearly identical, as determined by the core-hole-clock approach, which is explained by a redistribution of electron density along the molecular framework, compensating the difference in the substrate-headgroup bond strength.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Ossowski
- †Smoluchowski Institute of Physics, Jagiellonian University, Reymonta 4, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
| | - Tobias Wächter
- ‡Angewandte Physikalische Chemie, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 253, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Laura Silies
- §Institut für Anorganische und Analytische Chemie, Universität Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 7, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Martin Kind
- §Institut für Anorganische und Analytische Chemie, Universität Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 7, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Agnieszka Noworolska
- †Smoluchowski Institute of Physics, Jagiellonian University, Reymonta 4, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
| | - Florian Blobner
- ∥Physikdepartment E20, Technische Universität München, 85747 Garching, Germany
| | - Dominika Gnatek
- †Smoluchowski Institute of Physics, Jagiellonian University, Reymonta 4, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
| | - Jakub Rysz
- †Smoluchowski Institute of Physics, Jagiellonian University, Reymonta 4, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
| | - Michael Bolte
- §Institut für Anorganische und Analytische Chemie, Universität Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 7, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Peter Feulner
- ∥Physikdepartment E20, Technische Universität München, 85747 Garching, Germany
| | - Andreas Terfort
- §Institut für Anorganische und Analytische Chemie, Universität Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 7, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Piotr Cyganik
- †Smoluchowski Institute of Physics, Jagiellonian University, Reymonta 4, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
| | - Michael Zharnikov
- ‡Angewandte Physikalische Chemie, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 253, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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3
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Osella S, Cornil D, Cornil J. Work function modification of the (111) gold surface covered by long alkanethiol-based self-assembled monolayers. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2014; 16:2866-73. [DOI: 10.1039/c3cp54217c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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4
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Ribas-Arino J, Marx D. Covalent mechanochemistry: theoretical concepts and computational tools with applications to molecular nanomechanics. Chem Rev 2012; 112:5412-87. [PMID: 22909336 DOI: 10.1021/cr200399q] [Citation(s) in RCA: 238] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jordi Ribas-Arino
- Lehrstuhl für Theoretische Chemie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany.
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Huang DM, Harrowell P. Molecular shape and the energetics of chemisorption: from simple to complex energy landscapes. PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, STATISTICAL, NONLINEAR, AND SOFT MATTER PHYSICS 2012; 86:011606. [PMID: 23005429 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.86.011606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
We enumerate all local minima of the energy landscape for model rigid adsorbates characterized by three or four equivalent binding sites (e.g., thiol groups) on a close-packed (111) surface of a face-centered-cubic crystal. We show that the number of energy minima increases linearly with molecular size with a rate of increase that depends on the degree of registry between the molecule shape and the surface structure. The sparseness of energy minima and the large variations in the center-of-mass positions of these minima vs molecular size for molecules that are incommensurate with the surface suggests a strong coupling in these molecules between surface mobility and shape or size fluctuations resulting from molecular vibrations. We also find that the variation in the binding energy with respect to molecular size decreases more rapidly with molecular size for molecules with a higher degree of registry with the surface. This indicates that surface adsorption should be better able to distinguish molecules by size if the molecules are incommensurate with the surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Huang
- School of Chemistry and Physics, The University of Adelaide, South Australia 5061, Australia
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6
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Paterson S, Allison W, Hedgeland H, Ellis J, Jardine AP. Rotation and translational motion prior to self-assembly: dynamics of ethanethiolate on Cu(111). PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2011; 106:256101. [PMID: 21770655 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.106.256101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
We investigate the dynamics of low-coverage ethanethiolate on Cu(111) using helium spin-echo spectroscopy. Above 210 K, the measurements are dominated by translational hopping with an activation energy of only 86 ± 5 meV. At lower temperatures (150-210 K) a further process becomes apparent which has the signature of confined motion. We demonstrate the experimental results are consistent with scattering from an anchored rotor, enabling identification of sixfold jump rotation of the ethyl tail group around a static sulfur adsorption site, with a rotational activation energy of 18 ± 8 meV. Our approach represents a new form of rotational spectroscopy which can be used to study rotational surface diffusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Paterson
- The Cavendish Laboratory, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, United Kingdom.
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7
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Heimel G, Rissner F, Zojer E. Modeling the electronic properties of pi-conjugated self-assembled monolayers. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2010; 22:2494-513. [PMID: 20414885 DOI: 10.1002/adma.200903855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
The modification of electrode surfaces by depositing self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) provides the possibility for controlled adjustment of various key parameters in organic and molecular electronic devices. Most important among them are the work function of the electrode and the relative alignment of its Fermi level with the conducting states in the SAM itself and with those in a subsequently deposited organic semiconductor. For the efficient application of such interface modifications it is crucial to reach a proper understanding of the relation between the chemical structure of a molecule, its molecular electronic characteristics, and the properties of the SAM formed by such molecules. Over the past years, quantum-mechanical calculations have proven to be a valuable tool for reaching a fundamental understanding of the relevant structure-property relations. Here, we provide a review over the field and report on recent progress in the modeling of the interfacial electronic properties of pi-conjugated SAMs. In addition to the insight that can be gained from simple electrostatic considerations, we focus on the quantum-mechanical description of the roles played by substituents, molecular backbones, chemical anchoring groups, and the packing density of molecules on the surface. Furthermore, we explicitly address the energy-level alignment at the interface between a prototypical organic semiconductor and a SAM-covered metal electrode and describe an approach suitable for extending the metallic character of the substrate onto the monolayer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg Heimel
- Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Newtonstrasse 15, 12489 Berlin, Germany.
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Turanský R, Konôpka M, Doltsinis NL, Štich I, Marx D. Switching of functionalized azobenzene suspended between gold tips by mechanochemical, photochemical, and opto-mechanical means. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2010; 12:13922-32. [DOI: 10.1039/c0cp00588f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Konôpka M, Turanský R, Reichert J, Fuchs H, Marx D, Stich I. Mechanochemistry and thermochemistry are different: stress-induced strengthening of chemical bonds. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2008; 100:115503. [PMID: 18517794 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.100.115503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2007] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Most chemical reactions require activation which is conventionally supplied by heat. In stark contrast, mechanical activation by applied external forces opens intriguing novel possibilities. Here, the first direct comparison of mechanical versus thermal activation of bond breaking is provided. Studying both thiolate-copper interfaces and junctions provides evidence for vastly different reaction pathways and product classes. This is understood in terms of directional mechanical manipulation of coordination numbers and system fluctuations in the process of mechanical activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Konôpka
- Center for Computational Materials Science, Slovak University of Technology (FEI STU), 81219 Bratislava, Slovakia
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Lal M, Plummer M, Smith W. Solvent Density Effects on the Solvation Behavior and Configurational Structure of Bare and Passivated 38-Atom Gold Nanoparticle in Supercritical Ethane. J Phys Chem B 2006; 110:20879-88. [PMID: 17048902 DOI: 10.1021/jp0633650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In exploring the effects of solvent density on the mode and the degree of solvation of the bare and passivated 38-atom gold particle in supercritical ethane, we have extended the molecular dynamics simulations of the system, reported previously,(34) to cover a range of isotherms in the T > T(c) regime, where T(c) is the critical temperature of the solvent. Consonant with our previous observations, the modes of solvation of the bare and the passivated particle, deduced from the radial distribution of the solvent about the metal core center of mass, are found to be vastly different from each other at all solvent densities: while the molecules solvating the bare particle form a well-defined, two-region layer around it, those solvating the passivated particle are loosely dispersed in the passivating layer. For the bare particle, the degree of solvation (vartheta) as a function of solvent density passes through a maximum occurring in the close vicinity of the critical point, consistent with our previous results and in agreement with Debenedetti's theoretical analysis,(22,23) which predicts a solvation enhancement effect in the critical region for systems where the unlike solvent/solute interaction is much stronger than the solvent/solvent interaction. Taking the degree of solvation (vartheta) as a measure of solvent quality, we have investigated how the solvent quality would vary along the solvent-density isotherms. In the solvent-density regime rho > rho(c), the solvent quality is found to be a decreasing function of the density as a result of progressive dominance of the excluded volume effect over the attractive particle/solvent interactions. The particle/solvent affinity is greatly reduced in the presence of the passivating layer, resulting in considerable shrinkage of the good-solvent-quality domain in the supercritical regime. The solvent environment and the presence of the passivating chains produce significant disorder in the equilibrium structure assumed by the nanoparticle core.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moti Lal
- Centre for Nanoscale Science, The Donnan and Robert Robinson Laboratories, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZD, United Kingdom.
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Ferral A, Patrito EM, Paredes-Olivera P. Structure and Bonding of Alkanethiols on Cu(111) and Cu(100). J Phys Chem B 2006; 110:17050-62. [PMID: 16927999 DOI: 10.1021/jp0574394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The local structure of the sulfur atom of methanethiolate and ethanethiolate on the Cu(111) and Cu(100) surfaces was investigated from first principles employing the periodic supercell approach in the framework of density functional theory. On the 111 surface, we investigated the (square root 3 x square root 3)R30 degrees and (2 x 2) structures, whereas on the 100 surface, we investigated the p(2 x 2) and c(2 x 2) structures. The landscape of the potential energy surface on each metal surface presents distinctive features that explain the local adsorption structure of thiolates found experimentally. On the Cu(111) surface, the energy difference between the hollow and bridge sites is only 3 kcal/mol, and consequently, adsorption sites ranging from the hollow to the bridge site were observed for increasing surface coverages. On the Cu(100) surface, there is a large energy difference of 12 kcal/mol between the hollow and bridge sites, and therefore, only the 4-fold coordination was observed. The high stabilization of thiolates on the hollow site of Cu(100) may be the driving force for the pseudosquare reconstruction observed experimentally on Cu(111). Density of states analysis and density difference plots were employed to characterize the bonding on different surface sites. Upon interaction with the metal d bands, the pi* orbital of methanethiolate splits into several peaks. The two most prominent peaks are located on either edge of the metal d band. They correspond to bonding and antibonding S-Cu interactions. In the case of ethanethiolate, all the back-bonds are affected by the surface bonding, leading to alternating regions of depletion and accumulation of charge in the successive bonds.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Ferral
- Departamento de Fisicoquímica, Instituto de Investigaciones en Fisicoquímica de Córdoba (INFIQC), Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Ciudad Universitaria, 5000 Córdoba, Argentina
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