Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Electron Transport Layer for Rigid or Flexible Perovskite Solar Cells under Ambient Conditions

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are the prime candidates for photovoltaic technologies due to their superior photoelectric performance and low-temperature processability. The electron transport layer (ETL) is one of the most significant compositions for preparing PSCs. Herein, we innovatively introduce a strategy of poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic anhydride) (PVEM) complexes with SnO2 to prepare an organic-inorganic hybrid PVEM-SnO2 ETL. The preparation of a dense PVEM-SnO2 ETL film with fewer defects and superior wetting property considerably increases the electron extraction and transportability and dramatically reduces the trap-state density of perovskite film. Correspondingly, the PCE of rigid PSCs based on PVEM-SnO2 increases to 19.86% with negligible hysteresis and better long-term stability. Meanwhile, by adding PVEM into SnO2, the flexible device demonstrates a remarkable PCE of 16.86% and exhibits outstanding bending durability.

Automated summary

This study introduces a novel strategy of using poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic anhydride) (PVEM) complexes with SnO2 to prepare organic-inorganic hybrid PVEM-SnO2 electron transport layer (ETL) for perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The PVEM-SnO2 ETL greatly improves the electron extraction and transportability, reduces the trap-state density of the perovskite film, and enhances the performance and stability of both rigid and flexible PSCs.