High-efficiency perovskite solar cells: dual-absorber design featuring embedded core-shell plasmonic nanoparticles

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Renewable Energy
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are a promising photovoltaic technology.
• Conventional single-junction PSCs face efficiency limitations.
• Enhancing light absorption and charge extraction is crucial for boosting PSC performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel dual-enhancement strategy for high-efficiency PSCs.
• To investigate the synergistic effects of a stacked dual-absorber design and plasmonic nanoparticle integration.
• To demonstrate a practical and scalable pathway for next-generation thin-film solar cells.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a stacked dual-absorber PSC architecture: Cs_0.2FA_0.8Pb(I_0.7Br_0.3)₃/MASnI₃.
• Integration of dual-layer plasmonic enhancement using spherical core-shell Ag nanoparticles (NPs).
• Optical-electrical performance characterization and analysis using 3D-FEM modeling.

Main Results:

• Achieved a record power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 29.2% for the dual-enhancement PSC.
• Demonstrated significant improvements compared to dual-absorber (25.9% PCE) and single-junction (22.0% PCE) devices.
• Observed enhanced short-circuit current density (J_sc) of 36.3 mAcm^-2 due to improved light harvesting.

Conclusions:

• The dual-enhancement strategy, combining stacked dual-absorbers and plasmonic NPs, effectively boosts PSC efficiency.
• This approach offers a scalable and practical route for developing high-performance, thin-film perovskite solar cells.
• The findings pave the way for PSCs to surpass conventional single-absorber designs with reduced material usage.