CuI/Spiro-OMeTAD Double-Layer Hole Transport Layer to Improve Photovoltaic Performance of Perovskite Solar Cells

The hole transport layer (HTL) is one of the main factors affecting the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, obtaining HTLs with the desired properties through current preparation techniques remains a challenge. In the present study, we propose a new method which can be used to achieve a double-layer HTL, by inserting a CuI layer between the perovskite layer and Spiro-OMeTAD layer via a solution spin coating process. The CuI layer deposited on the surface of the perovskite film directly covers the rough perovskite surface, covering the surface defects of the perovskite, while a layer of CuI film avoids the defects caused by Spiro-OMetad pinholes. The double-layer HTLs improve roughness and reduce charge recombination of the Spiro-OMeTAD layer, thereby resulting in superior hole extraction capabilities and faster hole mobility. The CuI/Spiro-OMeTAD double-layer HTLs-based devices were prepared in N2 gloveboxes and obtained an optimized PCE (photoelectric conversion efficiency) of 17.44%. Furthermore, their stability was improved due to the barrier effect of the inorganic CuI layer on the entry of air and moisture into the perovskite layer. The results demonstrate that another deposited CuI film is a promising method for realizing high-performance and air-stable PSCs.

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Surface treatment via Li-bis-(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) imide to eliminate the hysteresis and enhance the efficiency of inverted perovskite solar cells

Journal of Materials Chemistry C ◽

10.1039/c7tc03984k ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 (39) ◽

pp. 10280-10287 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Cong Chen ◽

Guang Yang ◽

Junjie Ma ◽

Xiaolu Zheng ◽

Zhiliang Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Surface Treatment ◽

Power Conversion ◽

Photovoltaic Performance ◽

Perovskite Solar Cells ◽

Hole Transport ◽

Transport Layer ◽

Hole Transport Layer ◽

Long Term Stability

We showed that perovskite solar cells employing Li-treated NiOxas a hole transport layer demonstrated excellent photovoltaic performance, and obtained a power conversion efficiency of up to 18.03%. In addition, the device possessed good long-term stability.

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Facile NiOx Sol-Gel Synthesis Depending on Chain Length of Various Solvents without Catalyst for Efficient Hole Charge Transfer in Perovskite Solar Cells

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym10111227 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 1227 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Byung Kim ◽

Woongsik Jang ◽

Dong Wang

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Chain Length ◽

Short Circuit ◽

Sol Gel ◽

Perovskite Solar Cells ◽

Open Circuit ◽

Hole Transport ◽

Transport Layer ◽

Hole Transport Layer ◽

Perovskite Layer

Nickel oxide (NiOx)–based perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have recently gained considerable interest, and exhibit above 20% photovoltaic efficiency. However, the reported syntheses of NiOx sol-gel used toxic chemicals for the catalysts during synthesis, which resulted in a high-temperature annealing requirement to remove the organic catalysts (ligands). Herein, we report a facile “NiOx sol-gel depending on the chain length of various solvents” method that eschews toxic catalysts, to confirm the effect of different types of organic solvents on NiOx synthesis. The optimized conditions of the method resulted in better morphology and an increase in the crystallinity of the perovskite layer. Furthermore, the use of the optimized organic solvent improved the absorbance of the photoactive layer in the PSC device. To compare the electrical properties, a PSC was prepared with a p-i-n structure, and the optimized divalent alcohol-based NiOx as the hole transport layer. This improved the charge transport compared with that for the typical 1,2-ethanediol (ethylene glycol) used in earlier studies. Finally, the optimized solvent-based NiOx enhanced device performance by increasing the short-circuit current density (Jsc), open-circuit voltage (Voc), and fill factor (FF), compared with those of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)–based devices.

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Efficient Solution Processed CH3NH3PbI3 Perovskite Solar Cells with PolyTPD Hole Transport Layer

Zeitschrift für Naturforschung A ◽

10.1515/zna-2019-0127 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 74 (8) ◽

pp. 665-672 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Julian Höcker ◽

David Kiermasch ◽

Philipp Rieder ◽

Kristofer Tvingstedt ◽

Andreas Baumann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Surface Coverage ◽

Energy Levels ◽

Perovskite Solar Cells ◽

Hole Transport ◽

Transport Layer ◽

Hole Transport Layer ◽

Perovskite Layer ◽

Solvent Engineering ◽

Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital

AbstractThe organic and hydrophobic polymer poly[N, N′-bis(4-butilphenyl)-N, N′-bis(phenyl)-benzidine] (polyTPD) represents a promising hole transport layer (HTL) for perovskite photovoltaics due to its suitable energy levels, whereby its highest occupied molecular orbital level matches well with the valence band level of methylammonium lead triiodide (CH3NH3PbI3, MAPbI3) perovskite. However, processing a perovskite layer from the solution on the surface of this organic material, is found to be difficult due to the surface properties of the latter. In this study, we evaluate efficient p-i-n type MAPbI3 perovskite solar cells employing differently processed polyTPD layers. We found that the surface coverage of the MAPbI3 perovskite layer strongly depends on the preparation method of the underlying polyTPD layer. By varying the solvents for the polyTPD precursor, its concentration, and by applying an optimised two-step perovskite deposition technique we increased both the surface coverage of the perovskite layer as well as the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the corresponding solar cell devices. Our simple solvent-engineering approach demonstrates that no further interface modifications are needed for a successful preparation of efficient planar photovoltaic devices with PCEs in the range of 15 %–16 %.

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Enhanced Efficiencies of Perovskite Solar Cells by Incorporating Silver Nanowires into the Hole Transport Layer

Micromachines ◽

10.3390/mi10100682 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 682 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Chien-Jui Cheng ◽

Rathinam Balamurugan ◽

Bo-Tau Liu

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Charge Transfer ◽

Silver Nanowires ◽

Perovskite Solar Cells ◽

Hole Transport ◽

Transport Layer ◽

Hole Transport Layer ◽

Perovskite Layer ◽

Iodide Ions ◽

Poly Styrene Sulfonate

In this study, we incorporated silver nanowires (AgNWs) into poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) as a hole transport layer (HTL) for inverted perovskite solar cells (PVSCs). The effect of AgNW incorporation on the perovskite crystallization, charge transfer, and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of PVSCs were analyzed and discussed. Compared with neat PEDOT:PSS HTL, incorporation of few AgNWs into PEDOT:PSS can significantly enhance the PCE by 25%. However, the AgNW incorporation may result in performance overestimation due to the lateral charge transfer. The corrosion of AgNWs with a perovskite layer was discussed. Too much AgNW incorporation may lead to defects on the interface between the HTL and the perovskite layer. An extra PEDOT:PSS layer over the pristine PEDOT:PSS-AgNW layer can prevent AgNWs from corrosion by iodide ions.

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Perovskite solar cells with a DMSO-treated PEDOT:PSS hole transport layer exhibit higher photovoltaic performance and enhanced durability

Nanoscale ◽

10.1039/c6nr08375g ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. 4236-4243 ◽

Cited By ~ 81

Author(s):

Di Huang ◽

Tenghooi Goh ◽

Jaemin Kong ◽

Yifan Zheng ◽

Suling Zhao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Photovoltaic Performance ◽

Perovskite Solar Cells ◽

Hole Transport ◽

Transport Layer ◽

Hole Transport Layer

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The Way to Pursue Truly High-Performance Perovskite Solar Cells

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano9091269 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. 1269 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Wu ◽

Thakur ◽

Chiang ◽

Chandel ◽

Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Photovoltaic Performance ◽

Perovskite Solar Cells ◽

Hole Transport ◽

Transport Layer ◽

Hot Electrons ◽

Electron Transport Layer ◽

Hole Transport Layer ◽

Hot Carriers ◽

Potential Loss

The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of single-junction solar cells was theoretically predicted to be limited by the Shockley–Queisser limit due to the intrinsic potential loss of the photo-excited electrons in the light absorbing materials. Up to now, the optimized GaAs solar cell has the highest PCE of 29.1%, which is close to the theoretical limit of ~33%. To pursue the perfect photovoltaic performance, it is necessary to extend the lifetimes of the photo-excited carriers (hot electrons and hot holes) and to collect the hot carriers without potential loss. Thanks to the long-lived hot carriers in perovskite crystal materials, it is possible to completely convert the photon energy to electrical power when the hot electrons and hot holes can freely transport in the quantized energy levels of the electron transport layer and hole transport layer, respectively. In order to achieve the ideal PCE, the interactions between photo-excited carriers and phonons in perovskite solar cells has to be completely understood.

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Efficient inverted planar perovskite solar cells based on inorganic hole-transport layers from nickel-containing organic sol

Functional Materials Letters ◽

10.1142/s1793604718500881 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (01) ◽

pp. 1850088 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Weina Zhang ◽

Jie Tang ◽

Jihuai Wu ◽

Zhang Lan

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Photovoltaic Performance ◽

Perovskite Solar Cells ◽

Hole Transport ◽

Transport Layer ◽

Simple Solution ◽

Hole Transport Layer ◽

Solution Processed ◽

Transport Dynamics ◽

Nio Nanocrystals

Due to the rough surface of fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) conductive glasses, it is challenging to fabricate fully covered ultra-thin hole-transport layer (HTL) with thickness under 100[Formula: see text]nm by a simple solution-processed method. Yet, the quality of HTLs play a key role in determining photovoltaic performance of the inverted planar perovskite solar cells (PSCs) owing to their important functions for effectively extracting holes, blocking electrons, suppressing dark reaction, and so on. Here, we report a facile nickel-containing organic sol (Ni–Sol) route to fabricate fully covered 46[Formula: see text]nm thick NiO HTLs for efficient inverted planar PSCs. Comparing with the pre-synthesized NiO nanocrystals solution, the Ni–Sol is easier to spread around the rough outline of FTO to achieve higher surface coverage. Through optimizing the concentration of nickel-containing organic sol, the champion performance of the inverted planar PSCs can be achieved because of the high transparency and good hole-transport dynamics of the optimized NiO film. This work demonstrates the advanced Ni–Sol route for preparing efficient inverted planar PSCs by the simple solution-processed method.

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Improved efficiency and reduced hysteresis in ultra-stable fully printable mesoscopic perovskite solar cells through incorporation of CuSCN into the perovskite layer

Journal of Materials Chemistry A ◽

10.1039/c9ta00669a ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (14) ◽

pp. 8073-8077 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Iwan Zimmermann ◽

Paul Gratia ◽

David Martineau ◽

Giulia Grancini ◽

Jean-Nicolas Audinot ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Perovskite Solar Cells ◽

Hole Transport ◽

Transport Layer ◽

Hole Transport Layer ◽

Perovskite Layer ◽

Term Stability ◽

Long Term Stability ◽

Carbon Based

Improved charge extraction in carbon-based fully printable hole transport layer-free mesoscopic perovskite solar cells with excellent long-term stability.

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Efficient perovskite solar cells with negligible hysteresis achieved by sol–gel-driven spinel nickel cobalt oxide thin films as the hole transport layer

Journal of Materials Chemistry C ◽

10.1039/c9tc00902g ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (24) ◽

pp. 7288-7298 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Ju Ho Lee ◽

Young Wook Noh ◽

In Su Jin ◽

Sang Hyun Park ◽

Jae Woong Jung

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

High Efficiency ◽

Sol Gel ◽

Photovoltaic Performance ◽

Perovskite Solar Cells ◽

Critical Issue ◽

Hole Transport ◽

Transport Layer ◽

Hole Transport Layer ◽

Current Voltage

Current–voltage hysteresis is a critical issue that impacts the photovoltaic performance of perovskite solar cells, and thus, it is imperative to develop high-efficiency perovskite solar cells without hysteresis behavior.

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Investigation of the S-Shaped Current–Voltage Curve in High Open-Circuit Voltage Ruddlesden–Popper Perovskite Solar Cells

Frontiers in Energy Research ◽

10.3389/fenrg.2021.689657 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Hong Zhong ◽

Renlai Zhou ◽

Xiaoqing Wu ◽

Xiaoyun Lin ◽

Ya Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Open Circuit Voltage ◽

Phase Distribution ◽

Perovskite Solar Cells ◽

Open Circuit ◽

Hole Transport ◽

Transport Layer ◽

Hole Transport Layer ◽

Perovskite Layer ◽

Current Voltage

We report our investigation on the S-shaped current–voltage characteristics in a hot-casting–processed (BA)2 (MA)3Pb4I13 Ruddlesden–Popper (RP) perovskite solar cell. The two-dimensional perovskite solar cells are fabricated with NiOx as the hole transport layer (HTL), which leads to significantly high open-circuit voltage (Voc). The champion device shows a Voc of 1.21 V and a short current density (Jsc) of 17.14 mA/cm2, leading to an overall power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 13.7%. Although the PCE is much higher than the control device fabricated on PEDOT:PSS, a significant S-shaped current–voltage behavior is observed in these NiOx-based devices. It is found that the S-shaped current–voltage behavior is related to the lower dimensional phase distribution and crystallinity at the bottom interface of the RP perovskite layer, and the S-shaped distortion is less severe after the device ageing test.

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