Fabrication and Performance of a Perovskite Solar Cell: Effect of Acetylacetone on Compact TiO2 Layer

Abstract

Solar energy has been the most emphasized issue in recent years, as it is sustainable and causes zero emissions. In the solar cell industry, new manufacturing protocols have led to the development of materials with enhanced properties. Over the past decades, perovskite solar cells (PSC) have obtained a power conversion efficiency (PCE) to be 25% due to the development of synthesis techniques, electrode materials, etc. There is an important relationship between the thickness of the transport layers (hole and electron) in the case of improving the yield of perovskite solar cells. We have investigated the influence of the acid-assisted and acetylacetone-assisted (AA) methods on TiO2 films and thus the effect on the PCE of perovskite solar cells. Perovskite (CH3NH3PbI3) layer and different compact TiO2 (c-TiO2) layers have been coated by the spin coating method, and the overall experimental section is made in the nitrogen medium at room temperature. Through an acid-assisted method, the cracked c-TiO2 film was formed. The planar solar cell structure of ITO/AA-TiO2/CH3NH3PbI3/P3HT/Ag resulted in 0.03% of PCE. However, the perovskite solar cells with a mesoporous solar cell structure of ITO/ AA-TiO2/m- TiO2 /CH3NH3PbI3/P3HT/Ag resulted in 0.1% of PCE.