Solvothermal derived crystalline NiOx nanoparticles for high performance perovskite solar cells

A solvothermal method is employed to synthesize NiOx nanoparticles with good dispersibility. The synthesized NiOx nanoparticles are very homogenous with an average size of about 3-5 nm, and the X-ray diffraction suggests a good crystallinity for the nanoparticles. NiOx films are spin coated from a colloid precursor which is prepared by dispersing the NiOx nanoparticles into ethanol using a certain amount of acetic as the stabilizer. To obtain an efficient hole extraction layer, an annealing process at 300 degrees C degree is necessary to remove the residual acetic in the NiOx film. Finally, hysteresis-less NiOx-based perovskite solar cells with good reproducibility are achieved, and a highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 16.68% and a constant steady state PCE of 16.49% are also demonstrated. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.