Wide spectral response perovskite solar cells mixed with NaGdF4:Yb3+, Er3+@NaGdF4:Eu3+ core-shell rare earth nanoparticles

In this study, NaGdF4:Yb3+, Er3+@NaGdF4:Eu3+ (NGEY@NGE) core-shell rare earth nanoparticles are prepared by a simple hydrothermal method. After testing, the emission peaks are observed at 415, 525, 540 and 660 nm with an excitation light of 980 nm due to the up-conversion luminescence from rare-earth nanoparticles. Under light excitation at 395 nm, the rare-earth nanoparticles undergo down-conversion luminescence with emission peaks at 590, 610 and 695 nm. The resulting nanoparticles are introduced into the TiO2 mesoporous layer of hole-conductor-free perovskite solar cells (PSCs) based on carbon counter electrodes to broaden the spectral response of the cells from the visible range to the near-infrared and near-ultraviolet regions, which can guarantee a high light absorption efficiency and corresponding accelerated generation of electron-hole pairs. The results suggest that the mixing of NGEY@NGE nanoparticles into mesoporous TiO2 layer improves the power conversion efficiency of PSCs to 14.21%, which is 10.6% higher than that of the control cells, which can pave an effective way to improve the performance of PSCs with a broadened response range.

Automated summary

Rare earth nanoparticles were prepared and introduced into solar cells to enhance the power conversion efficiency significantly. This approach broadens the response range of the cells, leading to improved performance.