Low-temperature treated anatase TiO2 nanophotonic-structured contact design for efficient triple-cation perovskite solar cells

We report on the preparation and optimization of low temperature (<200 degrees C) processed TiO2 film as an electron transport layer (ETL) for high-performance perovskite solar cells (PSCs) compatible with flexible substrates. A high-quality ETL is spin-coated from hydrothermal synthesized single-phase crystalline anatase TiO2 nano particles (NPs) with an average diameter of 6 similar to 10 nm. The surface of the high crystallite TiO2 NPs reveals a tendency toward interparticle necking, facilitating compact scaffolds, resulting in PSCs with high power conversion efficiencies (PCEs). The influence of low and high temperature treated TiO2 ETL on the device performance is studied. The best planar device fabricated in superstrate configuration (sup-C) exhibits a PCE of 17.1% with a J(SC) of 20.3 mA/cm(2). The PCE can be increased by similar to 25%, up to 23%, by moving from planar architecture in sup-C to the textured solar cell in substrate configuration (sub-C). The PSC covered with a nanophotonicstructured front contact allows gaining 8% and 15% on V-OC and J(SC), respectively, where 2/3 of J(SC) gain is attributed to improved light incoupling, while the remaining 1/3 is due to increased diffraction at long wavelengths. The optical and electrical characteristics of the devices are investigated by 3D finite-domain time domain (FDTD) and finite element method (FEM) rigorous simulations. Detailed guidelines on the nanophotonic design are provided.

Automated summary

This study investigates the preparation and optimization of low-temperature TiO2 film as an electron transport layer for high-performance PSCs. The high-quality TiO2 film improves the power conversion efficiency of PSCs, and further enhancement in device performance is achieved through nanophotonic design.