Abstract
Inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs) using a Cu:NiOx hole transporting layer (HTL) often exhibit stability issues and in some cases J/V hysteresis. In this work, we developed a β-alanine surface treatment process on Cu:NiOx HTL that provides J/V hysteresis-free, highly efficient, and thermally stable inverted PSCs. The improved device performance due to β-alanine-treated Cu:NiOx HTL is attributed to the formation of an intimate Cu:NiOx/perovskite interface and reduced charge trap density in the bulk perovskite active layer. The β-alanine surface treatment process on Cu:NiOx HTL eliminates major thermal degradation mechanisms, providing 40 times increased lifetime performance under accelerated heat lifetime conditions. By using the proposed surface treatment, we report optimized devices with high power conversion efficiency (PCE) (up to 15.51%) and up to 1000 h lifetime under accelerated heat lifetime conditions (60 °C, N2).
Highlights
Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have undoubtedly been the center of attention amongst the most promising photovoltaic (PV) technologies during recent years
We identified that the main reason for the poor device performance and J/V hysteresis of inverted (p-i-n) PSCs incorporating Cu:NiOx hole transporting layer (HTL) to be the presence of charge traps at the bulk perovskite active layer as well as the Cu:NiOx/Pvsk interface
Using β-alanine-surface treatment, we reduced interfacial charge trap density due to the formation of a more intimate Cu:NiOx/Pvsk interface, which results in improved Voc
Summary
Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have undoubtedly been the center of attention amongst the most promising photovoltaic (PV) technologies during recent years. Important is the compatibility of PVSCs with low temperature solution-processed fabrication techniques that render them very cost-effective [10] Despite their high PCE, PVSCs exhibit relatively low stability in environmental conditions, such as heat, moisture, and light, which still renders the commercialization of such devices very challenging. Reports in the literature have reported improved light stability by doping the [6,6]-phenyl-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) with graphene quantum dots (GQDs) [16] Heat is another environmental factor that can negatively affect the stability of PSCs, especially when it is combined with ambient conditions [15]. In our most recent work, we showed that a top electrode using γ-Fe2O3 (PC70BM/γ-Fe2O3/Al) improved the properties and stability of inverted PSCs under accelerated heat conditions [19]
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