Spray Pyrolyzed TiO₂ Embedded Multi-Layer Front Contact Design for High-Efficiency Perovskite Solar Cells

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Renewable Energy
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Efficient front contacts are crucial for high-performance perovskite solar cells (PSCs).
• Fabricating scalable, cost-effective front contacts for PSCs remains a significant challenge.
• Titanium oxide (TiO2) films are promising electron transport layers (ETLs) for PSCs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate a realistic multi-layer front contact design for efficient single-junction PSCs and perovskite/perovskite tandem solar cells (TSCs).
• To optimize and assess the reproducibility of TiO2 ETLs fabricated via Spray Pyrolysis Deposition (SPD).
• To investigate the optical and electrical effects of front contacts on PSC performance using advanced simulations.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of compact TiO2 films using industrially viable Spray Pyrolysis Deposition (SPD).
• Optimization and reproducibility studies of TiO2 ETLs in planar PSCs.
• Three-dimensional (3D) finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) and finite element method (FEM) simulations to analyze optical and electrical properties.
• Experimental validation and comparison with simulation outcomes.

Main Results:

• Achieved a highly compact TiO2 film suitable as an ETL for PSCs.
• Demonstrated significant enhancement in energy conversion efficiency (ECE) of over 30% for optimized single-junction PSCs compared to planar references.
• Successfully realized all-perovskite tandem solar cells (TSCs) with ECE exceeding 30%.

Conclusions:

• The proposed multi-layer front contact design, utilizing SPD-fabricated TiO2 ETLs, significantly boosts PSC and TSC performance.
• Rigorous optical and electrical simulations provide valuable insights for experimental optimization.
• The study offers detailed guidance for fabricating high-performance perovskite solar cells and tandem devices.