Toward Stable and Efficient Solar Cells with Electropolymerized Films

Researches on the new generation of solar cell devices, including dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), organic solar cells (OSCs), and perovskite solar cells (PSCs), have achieved great success in recent decades. Their long-term performance stabilities limit the commercial productions of these devices. Electropolymerization is a well-known film-deposition method to obtain electroactive and photoactive films with wide optoelectronic applications. The strategies of using cross-linked electropolymerized films toward developing stable and efficient solar cells are reviewed. In situ electropolymerization or postelectrodeposition on dye surfaces is demonstrated to improve the stabilities of DSSCs by suppressing the dye desorption from the substrate. The electropolymerized films of p- or n-type monomers are used as the anodic/cathodic interlayers, hole-transporting layers, or electron transporting layers in OSCs and PSCs with high efficiencies and good performance stabilities. The incorporation of electropolymerized films in solar cells will further boost the efficient utilization of solar energy.