Preparation of Symmetric and Asymmetric Porphyrin as a Passivating Agent for Perovskite Solar Cells

Porphyrin is a macromolecular heterocyclic compound with broad applications, such as photocatalyst, photodynamic therapy agent, and photosensitizer in solar cells. Synthesis of symmetric porphyrins, such as meso-tetraphenylporphyrin and meso-tetra(4-methoxyphenyl) porphyrin was carried out using a one-pot Microwave-Assisted Organic Synthesis (MAOS) method. Meanwhile, asymmetric porphyrins were synthesized using a common reflux method by applying 5-phenyldipyrromethane as the precursor to control the asymmetric porphyrin products. Separation and purification of synthesized porphyrin were performed using column chromatography. Preliminary analysis of the synthesis results was carried out by thin layer chromatography (TLC), UV-Vis spectroscopy, and fluorescence analysis. Hydrogen Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy was carried out to determine the structure of synthesized compounds. The differences in substituents in porphyrin molecules govern the distinctness of their photophysical properties. The modifications of porphyrins demonstrated in this work could be adopted for perovskite solar cell applications.