New publication by the Mesoscale Chemical Systems group in Crystal Growth & Design Mechanochemistry as a fabrication method for hole transport layers in perovskite solar cells

Within a consortium led by Khalifa University of Science and Technology, the MCS group contributed to research on the development of a novel pyrene-phenothiazine (PYR−PTZ) molecule which was demonstrated to be an effective hole-transport material in a perovskite solar cell. The molecule was manufactured through C−N coupling of tetrabromopyrene and phenothiazine, using a mechanochemical method based on ball-milling under ambient conditions. The novel hole-transport material was characterized for its photophysical and electron transport properties, and crystal structure. The photoconversion efficiency was measured to be comparable to that of the wellknown spiro-MeOTAD molecule, whereas its stability in ambient air was found to be superior after 4 weeks. This work shows that mechanochemistry is valuabl for sustainable synthesis of new organic hole-transport layers at significantly reduced costs, opening up new opportunities in optoelectronics. 

The MCS part of this research has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement no. 742004).

The results are published Open Access as: B. Dhokale, C. Eyovge, J.P. Winczewski, W. Ali, Z. Younes, H. Hernandez, L. Li, P. Managutti, T. Alkhidir, D. Shetty, H. Gardeniers, A. Susarrey-Arce, S. Mohamed, Mechanochemistry for the sustainable synthesis of organic hole transport materials in perovskite solar cells, Crystal Growth & Design 2025, 25, 2402-2408; DOI: 10.1021/acs.cgd.4c01523