Metal Oxide Compact Electron Transport Layer Modification for Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have appeared as a promising design for next-generation thin-film photovoltaics because of their cost-efficient fabrication processes and excellent optoelectronic properties. However, PSCs containing a metal oxide compact layer (CL) suffer from poor long-term stability and performance. The quality of the underlying substrate strongly influences the growth of the perovskite layer. In turn, the perovskite film quality directly affects the efficiency and stability of the resultant PSCs. Thus, substrate modification with metal oxide CLs to produce highly efficient and stable PSCs has drawn attention. In this review, metal oxide-based electron transport layers (ETLs) used in PSCs and their systemic modification are reviewed. The roles of ETLs in the design and fabrication of efficient and stable PSCs are also discussed. This review will guide the further development of perovskite films with larger grains, higher crystallinity, and more homogeneous morphology, which correlate to higher stable PSC performance. The challenges and future research directions for PSCs containing compact ETLs are also described with the goal of improving their sustainability to reach new heights of clean energy production.

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Low-temperature-processed metal oxide electron transport layers for efficient planar perovskite solar cells

Rare Metals ◽

10.1007/s12598-020-01676-y ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jia-Xing Song ◽

Xin-Xing Yin ◽

Zai-Fang Li ◽

Yao-Wen Li

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Electron Transport ◽

Low Temperature ◽

Metal Oxide ◽

Low Cost ◽

Perovskite Solar Cells ◽

Transport Layer ◽

Electron Transport Layer ◽

Future Research ◽

Low Temperature Preparation

Abstract As a promising photovoltaic technology, perovskite solar cells (pero-SCs) have developed rapidly over the past few years and the highest power conversion efficiency is beyond 25%. Nowadays, the planar structure is universally popular in pero-SCs due to the simple processing technology and low-temperature preparation. Electron transport layer (ETL) is verified to play a vital role in the device performance of planar pero-SCs. Particularly, the metal oxide (MO) ETL with low-cost, superb versatility, and excellent optoelectronic properties has been widely studied. This review mainly focuses on recent developments in the use of low-temperature-processed MO ETLs for planar pero-SCs. The optical and electronic properties of widely used MO materials of TiO2, ZnO, and SnO2, as well as the optimizations of these MO ETLs are briefly introduced. The commonly used methods for depositing MO ETLs are also discussed. Then, the applications of different MO ETLs on pero-SCs are reviewed. Finally, the challenge and future research of MO-based ETLs toward practical application of efficient planar pero-SCs are proposed. Graphical abstract

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Enhancing Performance of Perovskite Solar Cells by TiCl4 Treatment on the Surface Roughness of the Titanium Dioxide Layer

Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology ◽

10.1166/jnn.2021.19239 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (7) ◽

pp. 3806-3812

Author(s):

Truyen Hai Dang ◽

Sangmo Kim ◽

Maro Kim ◽

Chung Wung Bark

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Electron Transport ◽

Perovskite Solar Cells ◽

Metal Electrode ◽

Hole Transport ◽

Transport Layer ◽

Electron Transport Layer ◽

Hole Transport Layer ◽

Perovskite Layer ◽

And Performance

Perovskite solar cells have been attracting extensive attention because of their superior photovoltaic performances and lower costs as compared to those of prevailing photovoltaic technologies. There are four main interfaces in perovskite solar cells: flourine-doped tin oxide/electron transport layer, electron transport layer/perovskite layer, perovskite layer/hole transport layer, and hole transport layer/metal electrode. Among them, the interface between the perovskite layer (general formula RPbX3) and electron transport layer significantly affects the power conversion efficiency. In this study, a layer of TiO2, which is the most popular metal oxides used for perovskite solar cells applications, was deposited as the electron transport layer. To enhance the perovskite solar cells performance, surface treatment was performed with TiCl4 (80 mM). To investigate the effect of TiCl4 treatment, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy was performed on the perovskite film. Atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and performance of perovskite solar cells have been also evaluated in this paper. The results indicated that the TiCl4 treatment significantly improved the perovskite solar cells performance.

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Improving the Open-Circuit Voltage of Sn-Based Perovskite Solar Cells by Band Alignment at the Electron Transport Layer/Perovskite Layer Interface

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces ◽

10.1021/acsami.0c04676 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (24) ◽

pp. 27131-27139 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Tomoyasu Yokoyama ◽

Yu Nishitani ◽

Yumi Miyamoto ◽

Shohei Kusumoto ◽

Ryusuke Uchida ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Electron Transport ◽

Open Circuit Voltage ◽

Perovskite Solar Cells ◽

Open Circuit ◽

Band Alignment ◽

Transport Layer ◽

Electron Transport Layer ◽

Perovskite Layer ◽

Layer Interface

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High-Performance and Hysteresis-Free Perovskite Solar Cells Based on Rare-Earth-Doped SnO2 Mesoporous Scaffold

Research ◽

10.34133/2019/4049793 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Qiyao Guo ◽

Jihuai Wu ◽

Yuqian Yang ◽

Xuping Liu ◽

Zhang Lan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Rare Earth ◽

Electron Transport ◽

Charge Transport ◽

Photovoltaic Performance ◽

Perovskite Solar Cells ◽

Transport Layer ◽

Electron Transport Layer ◽

Rare Earth Doping ◽

Perovskite Layer

Tin oxide (SnO2), as electron transport material to substitute titanium oxide (TiO2) in perovskite solar cells (PSCs), has aroused wide interests. However, the performance of the PSCs based on SnO2 is still hard to compete with the TiO2-based devices. Herein, a novel strategy is designed to enhance the photovoltaic performance and long-term stability of PSCs by integrating rare-earth ions Ln3+ (Sc3+, Y3+, La3+) with SnO2 nanospheres as mesoporous scaffold. The doping of Ln promotes the formation of dense and large-sized perovskite crystals, which facilitate interfacial contact of electron transport layer/perovskite layer and improve charge transport dynamics. Ln dopant optimizes the energy level of perovskite layer, reduces the charge transport resistance, and mitigates the trap state density. As a result, the optimized mesoporous PSC achieves a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 20.63% without hysteresis, while the undoped PSC obtains an efficiency of 19.01%. The investigation demonstrates that the rare-earth doping is low-cost and effective method to improve the photovoltaic performance of SnO2-based PSCs.

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