Overcoming the Interface Losses in Planar Heterojunction Perovskite-Based Solar Cells

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Renewable Energy
• Photovoltaics

Background:

• Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are a promising photovoltaic technology.
• Traditional PSCs often suffer from hysteresis and non-radiative recombination losses, limiting their efficiency and stability.
• Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) is a commonly used hole-transporting layer but contributes to recombination losses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a scalable, hysteresis-free, and planar perovskite solar cell architecture.
• To investigate the use of flame spray synthesized low-temperature processed nickel oxide (LT-NiO) as a hole-transporting layer (HTL).
• To improve the open-circuit voltage (Voc) and reduce non-radiative recombination in PSCs.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of perovskite solar cells using a planar architecture.
• Employing flame spray synthesized low-temperature processed nickel oxide (LT-NiO) as the HTL.
• Characterization of device performance, including efficiency, open-circuit voltage, and recombination losses.

Main Results:

• Achieved a scalable, hysteresis-free, and planar perovskite solar cell architecture.
• The LT-NiO HTL enabled power conversion efficiencies close to 18%.
• Demonstrated significantly reduced non-radiative voltage loss (Vloss) of only 0.226 V, a substantial improvement over devices using PEDOT:PSS.

Conclusions:

• Flame spray synthesized LT-NiO is an effective HTL for high-performance perovskite solar cells.
• The developed architecture overcomes limitations of hysteresis and non-radiative recombination.
• This approach offers a pathway towards more efficient and stable perovskite solar technology.