Transfer-Printed Cuprous Iodide (CuI) Hole Transporting Layer for Low Temperature Processed Perovskite Solar Cells

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have achieved significantly high power-conversion efficiency within a short time. Most of the devices, including those with the highest efficiency, are based on a n-i-p structure utilizing a (doped) spiro-OMeTAD hole transport layer (HTL), which is an expensive material. Furthermore, doping has its own challenges affecting the processing and performance of the devices. Therefore, the need for low-cost, dopant-free hole transport materials is an urgent and critical issue for the commercialization of PSCs. In this study, n-i-p structure PSCs were fabricated in an ambient environment with cuprous iodide (CuI) HTL, employing a novel transfer-printing technique, in order to avoid the harmful interaction between the perovskite surface and the solvents of CuI. Moreover, in fabricated PSCs, the SnO2 electron transport layer (ETL) has been incorporated to reduce the processing temperature, as previously reported (n-i-p) devices with CuI HTL are based on TiO2, which is a high-temperature processed ETL. PSCs fabricated at 80 degrees C transfer-printing temperature with 20 nm iodized copper, under 1 sun illumination showed a promising efficiency of 8.3%, (J(SC) and FF; 19.3 A/cm(2) and 53.8%), which is comparable with undoped spiro-OMeTAD PSCs and is the highest among the ambient-environment-fabricated PSCs utilizing CuI HTL.

Automated summary

In this study, n-i-p structure perovskite solar cells (PSCs) were fabricated using cuprous iodide (CuI) as the hole transport layer (HTL) through a novel transfer-printing technique in an ambient environment. The SnO2 electron transport layer (ETL) was also introduced to reduce the processing temperature. The fabricated PSCs showed a promising efficiency at a transfer-printing temperature of 80°C.