Page 58 - Read Online
P. 58

Wen et al. J. Mater. Inf. 2025, 5, 30  https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/jmi.2024.102  Page 3 of 21

               mobility, promoting rapid hole transport to the electrode; (iii) it should have good solubility and film-
               forming properties; (iv) it should possess good hydrophobicity, protecting the perovskite layer from
               moisture-induced degradation and improving device stability; (v) it should demonstrate high light
               transmittance, avoiding competition and absorption of light by the HTL that would otherwise be absorbed
               by the perovskite layer; (vi) it should be low-cost and easy to synthesize.

               SM-HTMs with methoxyaniline as the terminal group have garnered significant attention from researchers
               due to their advantages of easy synthesis, straightforward purification, tunable energy levels, and strong
               structural functionality [12,19] . These materials typically consist of a central group and two terminal groups.
               Common central units include benzene rings, naphthalene, pyrrole, furan, thiophene, carbazole, and
               dibenzothiophene, while the terminal groups are often composed of dimethoxydiphenylamine and
               dimethoxytriphenylamine [20-23] . Studies have demonstrated that methoxyaniline groups play a critical role in
               influencing the electronic properties of HTMs. Additionally, the incorporation of methoxyaniline groups
               enhances the solubility of these materials, leading to improved film morphology [24-27] .


               Currently, research on new SM-HTMs primarily relies on traditional laboratory synthesis and trial-and-
               error methods, which are inefficient and costly. However, with the rapid advancement of artificial
               intelligence technology, high-throughput computational screening and machine learning (ML) methods
               have become increasingly valuable in materials science [28-30] . These approaches are now widely applied in the
               development  of  new  materials  for  various  fields,  including  photovoltaics,  optoelectronics,  and
               photocatalysis [31-34] . Therefore, combining high-throughput computational screening with ML to design new
               SM-HTMs and predict their properties represents a highly promising direction for future research and
               development of SM-HTMs. In recent years, significant progress has been made in the structural design and
               performance investigation of HTMs for solar cells from the perspective of theoretical chemistry [35-39] .
               Building on this foundation, the integration of high-throughput screening and ML has emerged as a pivotal
               driving force in accelerating the discovery of novel SM-HTMs. Wu et al. pioneered a closed-loop workflow
               combining high-throughput organic synthesis with Bayesian optimization (BO) to discover SM-HTMs
                                        [40]
               tailored for perovskite devices . By training predictive models on 149 synthesized molecules and screening
               a virtual library of 1 million candidates, they achieved a certified PCE of 25.9%, demonstrating the power of
               data-driven approaches in navigating complex material landscapes with limited datasets. Complementing
               this, Faruque et al. employed a translational dimer model for high-throughput screening of 74
               diacenaphtho-extended heterocycles, coupled with ML-guided crystal structure prediction (CSP) and
                                        [41]
               carrier mobility calculations . Their workflow identified candidates with hole mobilities exceeding
               10 cm /V·s, validated by semiclassical Marcus theory, highlighting the role of computational screening in
                    2
               optimizing molecular packing and charge transport. These studies exemplify a paradigm shift toward
               autonomous, ML-enhanced material discovery, offering scalable strategies for designing next-generation
               HTMs with superior optoelectronic properties. However, the success of high-throughput screening and ML
               hinges on the availability of a robust library of candidate structures for HTMs. Consequently, the
               development of innovative design methodologies and algorithms for the structure of SM-HTMs is essential.


               In this study, an efficient design strategy for SM-HTMs is proposed, integrating molecular assembly
               algorithms, high-throughput screening, and ML model predictions. A self-developed molecular splicing
               algorithm (MSA) was employed to construct a database of potential SM-HTMs for PSCs. By integrating
               density functional theory (DFT), high-throughput computations were conducted to identify six high-
               performance candidate SM-HTMs for subsequent synthesis and performance evaluation. Furthermore, the
               molecular structure and property datasets obtained through high-throughput calculations were utilized to
               develop property prediction models for SM-HTMs using three ML approaches: random forest (RF),
   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63