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Flash Infrared Annealing for Perovskite Solar Cell Processing
Published on: February 3, 2021
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A screen-printed electron transport layer for efficient air-processed perovskite solar cells.
Xinsheng Tang1, Yangyang Liu1, Tianxiao Liu1
1State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, MOE Key Laboratory of High-Performance Polymer Materials & Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China. schen@nju.edu.cn.
Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England)
|December 23, 2025
Summary
Researchers developed a robust, screen-printed electron transport layer (ETL) using modified titanium dioxide (TiO2) and tin dioxide (SnO2). This innovation improves solar cell efficiency and stability by enhancing electron extraction and reducing recombination.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Renewable Energy
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a common electron transport layer (ETL) material in solar cells.
- Interfacial defects and suboptimal energy-level alignment in TiO2 ETLs hinder device performance.
- Developing efficient and stable ETLs is crucial for advancing solar energy conversion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer a robust and screen-printable electron transport layer (ETL) for enhanced solar cell performance.
- To improve electrical conductivity and passivate interfacial defects in the ETL using a hybrid TiO2/SnO2 approach.
- To achieve near-ideal energy-level alignment for efficient electron extraction and hole blocking.
Main Methods:
- Modulating a mesoporous TiO2 scaffold with SnO2.
- Screen-printing fabrication of the hybrid ETL under ambient conditions.
- Characterization of the ETL's electrical properties and energy-level alignment.
Main Results:
- The SnO2-modified TiO2 ETL exhibited enhanced electrical conductivity and passivated interfacial defects.
- Incorporation of SnO2 led to a raised Fermi level and lowered valence band maximum of TiO2, optimizing energy-level alignment.
- Optimized devices achieved a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 24.4% and maintained 20.4% PCE at an ETL thickness exceeding 1 micron.
Conclusions:
- The hybrid SnO2-modified TiO2 ETL offers a promising solution for high-performance and stable solar cells.
- Screen-printing fabrication under ambient conditions makes this ETL approach scalable and cost-effective.
- The engineered energy-level alignment and defect passivation significantly boost electron extraction and overall device efficiency.
