Direct C−H Arylation Meets Perovskite Solar Cells: Tin-Free Synthesis Shortcut to High-Performance Hole-Transporting Materials

In contrast to the traditional multistep synthesis, we demonstrate herein a two-step synthesis shortcut to triphenylamine-based hole-transporting materials (HTMs) through sequential direct C−H arylations. These hole-transporting molecules are fabricated in perovskite-based solar cells (PSCs) that exhibit promising efficiencies up to 17.69 %, which is comparable to PSCs utilizing commercially available 2,2′,7,7′-tetrakis[N,N-di(4-methoxyphenyl)amino]-9,9′-spirobifluorene (spiro-OMeTAD) as the HTM. This is the first report describing the use of step-saving C−H activations/arylations in the facile synthesis of small-molecule HTMs for perovskite solar cells.