Yttrium-substituted nanocrystalline TiO₂ photoanodes for perovskite based heterojunction solar cells

We report the use of Y(3+)-substituted TiO2 (0.5%Y-TiO₂) in solid-state mesoscopic solar cells, consisting of CH₃NH₃PbI₃ as the light harvester and spiro-OMeTAD as the hole transport material. A power conversion efficiency of 11.2% under simulated AM 1.5 full sun illumination was measured. A 15% improvement in the short-circuit current density was obtained compared with pure TiO₂, due to the effect of Y(3+) on the dimensions of perovskite nanoparticles formed on the semiconductor surface, showing that the surface modification of the semiconductor is an effective way to improve the light harvesters' morphology and electron transfer properties in the solid-state mesoscopic solar cells.