Efficient Hole Transport Layer Research Articles

Insights into the role of Co3O4/Ti3C2 MXene hybrid material in photoelectrochemical water oxidation over BiVO4 photoanode

Developing efficient hole transport layers and water oxidation electrocatalysts is vital for improving the performance of photoelectrochemical (PEC) devices for water-splitting. In this work, we synthesized Co3O4 nanoparticles/Ti3C2-MXene hybrid material and utilized it as a dual-function material to transport the photogenerated holes and catalyze the water oxidation reaction. It was found that the modification of BiVO4 with Co3O4/Ti3C2-MXene prolonged the lifetime of the photogenerated holes by 13.7-fold (i.e. from 0.26 s for BiVO4 to 3.56 s for Co3O4/Ti3C2/BiVO4) and significantly reduced the charge transfer resistance. The modification of BiVO4 with only Ti3C2-MXene resulted in significant surface recombination more likely due to the high concentration of the accumulated holes in the Mxene layer because of its low electrocatalytic activity toward water oxidation reaction. Employing the Co3O4/Ti3C2-MXene hybrid material significantly reduced the rate constant of surface recombination and dramatically enhanced the charge transfer efficiency (i.e. from 0.17% for BiVO4 to 14.0% for Co3O4/Ti3C2/BiVO4 at 0.65 VRHE). Under optimized conditions, the Co3O4/Ti3C2/BiVO4 photoanode was able to deliver 5.05 mA cm−2 at 1.23 VRHE and outperforms Ti3C2/BiVO4 and Co3O4/BiVO4 photoanodes. Moreover, it showed high stability for over 50 hours and reached a Faradaic efficiency of 90%. An applied bias photo-to-current efficiency (ABPE) value of 1.71% at 0.62 VPt was obtained for the overall water splitting. This work provides a facile method to reduce surface recombination and enhance the stability and PEC efficiency of BiVO4 photoanodes via the modification with dual-function oxygen evolution catalyst/hole transport layer hybrid material.

Performance Improvement of Formamidinium‐Based Perovskite Photodetector by Solution‐Processed C8‐BTBT Modification

AbstractOrganic–inorganic hybrid perovskite has attracted extensive research due to its excellent optoelectronic properties and is a competitive candidate material for a new generation of photodetectors. However, lateral structure photodetectors based only on perovskite active materials still present moderate performance and poor stability. Herein, lateral structure formamidinium‐based perovskite FA0.9Cs0.1PbI3 photodetectors are reported which are modified by a solution‐processed organic semiconductor 2,7‐dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2‐b][1]benzothiophene (C8‐BTBT) layer for improved photosensitive performance and ambient/flexibility stability. High‐mobility organic semiconductor C8‐BTBT serves as an efficient hole transport layer that fills the grain boundaries and gaps of the FA0.9Cs0.1PbI3 film, enabling rapid extraction and transport of the photo‐generated carriers from the perovskite to the electrodes, resulting in enhanced photosensitive performance of the photodetector. Compared with the original device, the C8‐BTBT‐modified photodetector exhibits dramatically improved performance with a best responsivity of 1278 mA W−1, specific detectivity of 1.58 × 1012 Jones, external quantum efficiency of 298%, and fall time of 14.09 ms, which is 10.84 times less than 152.76 ms of the pure perovskite device. Moreover, the C8‐BTBT film acts as a protective layer for the FA0.9Cs0.1PbI3 film because of its good air stability and effective coverage, which significantly improves the ambient stability of the perovskite photodetector compared with the original device, increasing photocurrent retention from 2.5% to 61.5% or 81.5% at different humidity after 6 days. Furthermore, the C8‐BTBT‐modified perovskite photodetector exhibits outstanding flexibility performance, with only a 5% reduction in photocurrent under bending and almost no change after 200 bending cycles, while those of the pristine perovskite device have degraded to ≈80% and ≈75% under the same conditions, respectively. This study provides a facile and effective solution‐processed‐based strategy for constructing high‐performance and stable perovskite photodetectors.

Edge-modified phosphorene nanoribbons enhance interfacial carrier extraction in perovskite solar cells

The search for cheap, stable and efficient electron and hole transport layers (ETL and HTL) of perovskite solar cells (PVSCs) remains a significant challenge. In this study, we construct a series of edge-modified phosphorene nanoribbons (PNRs) and explore their potentials as either ETL or HTL in PVSCs using PNRs/MAPbI3 heterojunction. The results reveal that the different functional groups have distinct effects on the electronic structures of individual PNRs. When combined with MAPbI3, the electronic structures of PNRs are further regulated due to the strong interaction. Considering the combined influence of both modifying groups and MAPbI3, several PNRs/MAPbI3 including COH-PNR/MAPbI3, OCN-PNR/MAPbI3 and CN-PNR/MAPbI3 show the tendency for electron transfer from MAPbI3 to PNRs. Conversely, NH2-PNR/MAPbI3 has a possibility for hole transfer. The time-domain noncollinear DFT-based nonadiabatic carrier dynamics simulations for H-PNR/MAPbI3, CN-PNR/MAPbI3 and NH2-PNR/MAPbI3 validate that the –CN group facilitates interfacial electron transfer, while the –NH2 group promotes hole transfer compared to H-PNR/MAPbI3. The addition of modifying groups increases the number of states of the PNRs in PNRs/MAPbI3 that are capable of accepting electron or hole from MAPbI3, thereby enhancing the carrier extraction capacity. This computational work proposes a design strategy to enhance the efficiency of ETL and HTL in PVSCs.

Pivotal avenue for hybrid electron transport layer-based perovskite solar cells with improved efficiency

This study conducted a simulative analysis of different hybrid perovskite solar cells with various hybrid electron transport layers (ETL) and hole transport layers (HTL). The electron transport layer boosts durability, lowers production costs, increases stability, improves light absorption, and increases efficiency. Hybrid ETLs are taken into consideration to improve the device's performance. The selected hybrid ETLs (PCBM–SnS2, TiO2–SnO2, and PCBM–PCPB) were modeled with four hybrid perovskite absorbers (CsPbI3, FAPbI3, MAPbI3, and FAMAPbI3) and five HTLs (PEDOT: PSS, CuI, Spiro-OMeTAD, CBTS, and NiO). Three sets of solar cells are found to be the most effective configurations after investigating over sixty different combinations of perovskite solar cell architectures. The structures show CBTS as the efficient HTL for FAMAPbI3 with all three hybrid ETLs. Besides, a holistic analysis of the effect of several factors such as the defect density and thickness of the absorber layer, temperature, parasitic resistances, capacitance, Mott–Schottky, impedance, conduction band offset, and current density–voltage and quantum efficiency characteristics is performed. The results show a maximum power conversion efficiency of 25.57%, 26.35%, and 23.36% with PCBM–SnS2, TiO2–SnO2, and PCBM–PCPB respectively. Among the studied hybrid ETLs, perovskite solar cell associated with TiO2–SnO2 has depicted a superior performance (Voc = 1.12 V, Jsc = 26.88 mA/cm2, FF = 87.27%). The efficiency of the perovskite solar cell using this study has been drastically enhanced compared to the previous experimental report. The proposed strategy provides a new avenue for attaining clean energy and allows researchers to pave the way for further design optimization to obtain high-performance solar cell devices.

O, N co-doped CuCrO2 as efficient hole transport layer for high-performance ultraviolet photodetectors

The optoelectronic properties and film-formation characteristics of CuCrO2 are optimized through oxygen (O) and nitrogen (N) co-doping using the space-limited domain annealing method in ambient air. After O, N co-doping at 100 °C, the conductivity of CuCrO2 is enhanced due to a decrease in trap-state density and an increase in hole concentration, thereby facilitating carrier transport. With a work function (WF) of 5.24 eV and an electron affinity (χ) of 2.29 eV, the CuCrO2 films serves as both a hole transport layer (HTL) and an electron-blocking layer, playing a pivotal role in enhancing photogenerated holes extraction while suppressing nonradiative charge recombination at the heterojunction interface. Consequently, the responsivity and detectivity of the device with FTO/TiO2 NRs/O, N co-doped CuCrO2/Au structure reach 188 mA W−1 and 3.14 × 1013 cm Hz1/2 W−1 in self-powered mode, respectively. Simultaneously, the rise/decay time is reduced to just 31.2/32.1 ns. Furthermore, after applying a bias of − 2 V, the photodetector demonstrates significantly improved performance with a responsivity of up to 5 × 105 mA/W (365 nm, 0.97 mW cm−2) and an apparent quantum efficiency of ∼30,000%. These results highlight the promising potential of utilizing O, N co-doped CuCrO2 HTL for constructing high-performance optoelectronic devices.

Characterization of PEDOT:PSS Nanofilms Printed via Electrically Assisted Direct Ink Deposition with Ultrasonic Vibrations.

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) has emerged as a promising conductive polymer for constructing efficient hole-transport layers (HTLs) in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, conventional fabrication methods, such as spin coating, spray coating, and slot-die coating, have resulted in PEDOT:PSS nanofilms with limited performance, characterized by a low density and non-uniform nanostructures. We introduce a novel 3D-printing approach called electrically assisted direct ink deposition with ultrasonic vibrations (EF-DID-UV) to overcome these challenges. This innovative printing method combines programmable acoustic field modulation with electrohydrodynamic spraying, providing a powerful tool for controlling the PEDOT:PSS nanofilm's morphology precisely. The experimental findings indicate that when PEDOT:PSS nanofilms are crafted using horizontal ultrasonic vibrations, they demonstrate a uniform dispersion of PEDOT:PSS nanoparticles, setting them apart from instances involving vertical ultrasonic vibrations, both prior to and after the printing process. In particular, when horizontal ultrasonic vibrations are applied at a low amplitude (0.15 A) during printing, these nanofilms showcase exceptional wettability performance, with a contact angle of 16.24°, and impressive electrical conductivity of 2092 Ω/square. Given its ability to yield high-performance PEDOT:PSS nanofilms with precisely controlled nanostructures, this approach holds great promise for a wide range of nanotechnological applications, including the production of solar cells, wearable sensors, and actuators.

Investigations of charge extraction and trap-assisted recombination in polymer solar cells via hole transport layer doped with NiO nanoparticles

Polymer solar cells (PSCs) are limited in their power conversion efficiency (PCE) by trap-assisted recombination caused by localized deep trap states. Therefore, developing efficient hole transport layers (HTLs) for PSCs is essential for facilitating the hole extraction stage from the photoactive layers. As part of this study, an organic/inorganic hybrid HTL was prepared by mixing synthesized nickel oxide (NiO) nanoparticles (NPs) of average size ranging from 16 to 21 nm with poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT). Based on this hybrid HTL, multilayer PSCs with an ITO/ZnO/P3HT:PC61BM/P3HT:NiO NPs/MoO3/Ag structure were fabricated and characterized. As a result of the incorporation of the optimum ratio of 5 wt% NiO NPs in the P3HT layer, the PCE obtained 3.73% compared to pristine devices (2.70%) fabricated without the P3HT layer. A charge extraction by increasing voltage (CELIV) measurement confirmed enhanced hole extraction at the active layer/HTL interface. The low fluorescence emission of the P3HT/NiO NPs film enabled efficient hole extraction at the active layer/hybrid HTL interface. Adding NiO NPs beyond 5 wt% to the P3HT layer causes deep trap states to form, which facilitated trap-assisted recombination and slowed down the mobility of the holes. Consequently, we can gain insight into how to improve PSC performance with hybrid HTL.

Low-Temperature Aqueous Ammonia-Processed Copper (I) Selenocyanate Hole-Transporting Material for Efficient Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells

Significant efforts have been reported on copper(I) thiocyanate (CuSCN) as an efficient hole-transporting layer (HTL) for perovskite solar cells. Surprisingly, its higher chalcogen analogue copper (I) selenocyanate (CuSeCN) is unexplored yet, even though CuSeCN has been shown to have different properties compared to CuSCN because of its different electronegativity, polarizability, and size (Se vs S atoms). In this work, we report the synthesis of CuSeCN as an HTL in perovskite solar cells via low-temperature solution-processable deposition from an aqueous ammonia solution. The transparency and thermal stability of CuSeCN films were examined by the deposition of thin films from an aqueous ammonia solution under ambient conditions. The structural, electrical, optical, and morphological properties of the CuSeCN films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, XPS, FTIR, cyclic voltammetry, UV–vis–NIR spectroscopy, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. A single-step fast deposition–crystallization method was used to fabricate low-temperature CuSeCN-based inverted planar perovskite solar cells, with device architecture indium tin oxide (ITO)/CuSeCN/CH3NH3PbI3/PC61BM/BCP/Ag. Furthermore, to examine the effect of the thickness of the HTL on device performance, three different concentrations of CuSeCN solution were used for thin-film deposition in perovskite solar cells. The annealing temperature of the HTL films was optimized to obtain the highest possible device performance. A maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 13.59% (Voc = 0.99 V, Jsc = 18.8 mA/cm2, and FF = 0.73) was achieved with 7.5 mg mL–1 of CuSeCN solution, along with negligible J–V hysteresis and reproducibility of device performance.

The Effect of Different Precursor Solutions on the Structural, Morphological, and Optical Properties of Nickel Oxide as an Efficient Hole Transport Layer for Perovskite Solar Cells

Perovskite solar cell (PSC) technologies have recently become a popular research topic. The hole transport layers (HTL) are important in establishing stable and efficient PSC by regulating charge absorption, interlayer recombination losses, and band alignment. Spiro-OMeTAD was extensively used as the HTL to fabricate highly efficient PSCs. Despite Spiro-OMeTAD having the benefit of providing high PCEs, it is costly, hazardous to the ecology, and cannot provide high efficiencies in the lack of additional additives that can reduce their stabilities. Inorganic HTL, specifically nickel oxide (NiO), has garnered much interest due to its low-cost, enhanced mobility, and strong stability to attain high efficiency. This study investigated different precursor solutions of NiO synthesis (Method I, II, and III) and deposited using the spin coating approach. The films were annealed at different annealing temperatures (400°C, 550°C, and 700°C) and evaluated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis spectroscopy, and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to test their structural, morphological, and optical characteristics, respectively. The findings of XRD revealed that a higher annealing temperature increases the crystallite size and decreases the microstrain through the study from Scherrer’s and Williamson-Hall’s (WH) equations. From the SEM analysis, the films show uniformity, large crystals, and agglomeration of particles. The annealing temperature from 400°C to 700°C reduced bandgap energy from 3.6 eV to 2.1 eV. According to the result, NiO produced at an annealing temperature of 700°C (Method I) exhibited the best characteristics and might be a viable option for HTL in PSCs.

Versatile Self‐Assembled Hole Transport Monolayer Enables Facile Processing Organic Solar Cells over 18% Efficiency with Good Generality

AbstractSimplifying solution‐processing of bulk‐heterojunction (BHJ) organic solar cells (OSCs) via efficient interfacial layers with good generality is in great demand for pushing their large‐scale applications. In this study, such a novel and cost‐effective self‐assembled monolayer (SAM) is reported herein as efficient hole transport layer (HTL) for high efficiency OSCs. The SAM‐structured 4‐(5,9‐dibromo‐7H‐dibenzo[c,g]carbazol‐7‐yl)butyl)phosphonic acid (DCB‐BPA) enables not only enhanced photon harvesting in the active layer but also minimized nonradiative recombination losses to improve interface charge extraction/transport. As a consequence, high short‐circuit current (≈28.07 mA cm−2) is achieved for PM6:BTP‐eC9 based OSCs to deliver a champion power conversion efficiency of 18.16%, among the highest values for OSCs using small organic HTLs to date. Importantly, good generality of this SAMs is demonstrated for representative high‐efficiency BHJ OSCs systems like PM6:Y6 and PM6:PC61BM, outperforming conventional poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate)‐based counterparts. Excitingly, the SAM is applicable for large‐area HTL processing via immersion method, affording 16.59% efficiency for PM6:BTP‐BO‐4Cl based OSCs. This study highlights the great potential of engineered SAMs for facile large‐scale fabrication of high performance OSCs.

Efficient non-fullerene organic solar cells employing aqueous solution-processed MoO3 as a hole-transporting layer

Organic solar cell (OSC) has drawn considerable interest in recent decades owing to their advantages of light weight, flexible, large area and potentially low-cost. Employing an appropriate hole-transporting layer (HTL) into an OSC device has been proved as an efficient method to obtain high efficiency OSC due to the enhancement of the hole transporting and extraction of the device. In this work, aqueous solution-processed MoO3 (s-MoO3) thin films were employed as HTLs to construct non-fullerene PM6:Y6 OSCs. The s-MoO3 thin film was prepared by using an aqueous solution process from an isopolymolybdate [NH4]6Mo7O24.4H2O precursor followed by thermal annealing treatment to convert the precursor to MoO3. The s-MoO3 HTL based PM6:Y6 device demonstrates a power conversion efficiency of 15.75%, which is 38% improved than that of the device with thermally evaporated-MoO3 as HTL and 8% improved than that of the device with PEDOT:PSS as HTL. The enhancement of the device performance could be attributed to the enhanced hole mobility and better band matching of the s-MoO3 HTL. Moreover, the s-MoO3 HTL based PM6:Y6 device exhibited higher device stability than those of the reference devices. Our finding indicates that this s-MoO3 film has great potential as efficient HTL for high performance non fullerene OSCs.

Properties of Electro-Deposited CuSCN Thin Films with Different Electrodeposition Charge Density

The development of efficient CuSCN hole transport layers is crucially important for achieving high photovoltaic performance in inorganic perovskite devices. In this study, the effects of electrodeposition charge density on the morphological/microstructural and electrical properties and the formation mechanism of electro-deposited CuSCN films are investigated and discussed. The results indicate that the charge density is the key factor that governs not only the thickness, but also morphological, electrical, and surface properties of the electro-deposited CuSCN films. For the energy band diagram property, we found that when the charge density is 120 mC cm−2 (named as CD120), the valance band of CuSCN near ITO work function. This excellent property can efficiently improve the photovoltaic performance of inorganic perovskite devices, where ITO and CuSCN are employed, owing to the reduction of energy barrier. Among the films electro-deposited at different charge densities, the CD120 exhibits the highest mobility, possibly due to the excess amount of SCN in the thin film.

Blade‐Coated Carbon Electrode Perovskite Solar Cells to Exceed 20% Efficiency Through Protective Buffer Layers

AbstractPerovskite solar cells with carbon electrode have a commercial impact because of their facile scalability, low‐cost, and stability. In these devices, it remains a challenge to design an efficient hole transport layer (HTL) for robust interfacing with perovskite on one side and carbon on another. Herein, an organic/inorganic double planar HTL is constructed based on polythiophene (P3HT) and nickel oxide (NiOx) nanoparticles to address the named challenge. Through adding an alkyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) modified NiOx nanoparticle layer on P3HT, the planar HTL achieves a cascade type‐II energy level alignment at the perovskite/HTL interfaces and a preferential ohmic contact at NiOx/carbon electrode, which greatly benefits in charge collection while suppressing charge transfer recombination. Besides, compared with the single P3HT layer, the planar composite enables a robust interfacial contact by protecting perovskite from being corroded by carbon paste during fabrication. As a result, the blade‐coated FA0.6MA0.4PbI3 perovskite solar cells (fabricated in ambient air in fume hood) with carbon electrode deliver an efficiency of 20.14%, the highest value for bladed coated carbon and perovskite solar cells, and withstand 275 h maximum power point tracking in air without encapsulation (95% efficiency retained).

Super aligned carbon nanotubes for interfacial modification of hole transport layer in polymer solar cells

This work presents a facile and innovative method for the insertion of super aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as sheets over and within poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) as an efficient hole transport layer (HTL) in the inverted type polymer solar cell. CNTs sheets drawn from the vertically grown CNTs arrays were extracted via a sharp-edge blade and were directly transferred to the surface of PEDOT:PSS followed by the deposition of thermally evaporated silver electrode. All the characteristic photovoltaic parameters of the device have been improved with the insertion of special patterened CNTs sheets as compared to the standards device (without CNTs sheets). Power conversion efficiency (PCE) improved from 2.14% to 3.69% with the increased short circuit current density from 9.12 mAcm−2 to 11.58 mAcm−2 and fill factor from 0.48 to 0.58, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed the successful insertion of CNTs without any destructive impact on the integrity of CNTs structure. Moreover, the performance and stability of the device have also been optimized by increasing the thickness of CNTs sheets. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) showed the reduction in charge transfer resistance on replacement of CNTs sheets-modified PEDOT:PSS as HTL as compared to simple PEDOT:PSS, which may be attributed to the creation of ordered steps which provided cascade routes for the better charge (holes) collection. Facile modification of the anode materials with improved device performance for designing of new device architecture will help scale-up production of low-cost, stable, and efficient polymer solar cells.

Spiro-OMeTAD versus PTAA for single-walled carbon nanotubes electrode in perovskite solar cells

Poly(triarylamine) (PTAA)-wrapped single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) functioned in a dual role as an efficient hole-transporting layer and electrode in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Thanks to the well-matched energy level, increased hole-transporting mobility, and hydrophobicity rendered by dopant-free PTAA, this dual-role SWCNTs electrode applied-PSCs using dopant-free PTAA achieved a better efficiency and stability than reference standards using LiTFSI-doped Spiro-OMeTAD. This dopant-free PTAA-applied SWCNTs electrode is expected to not only give a solution for efficiently using the SWCNTs electrode in PSCs, but also unveil the mechanism of the interaction between the hole-transporting layer and SWCNTs.

In-situ monitored chemical bath deposition of planar NiO layer for inverted perovskite solar cell with enhanced efficiency

• A solution route of chemical bath deposition (CBD) planar NiO x film was first proposed as the efficient hole transport layer for the inverted PSCs • Through an in-situ monitoring of the CBD reaction process, the morphologies and semiconducting properties of the NiO x film can be adjusted by the concentration variation of [Ni(H 2 O) x (NH 3 ) 6-x ] 2+ cation. • The devices based on planar NiO x at 50°C and C0.5 concentration achieved an enhanced efficiency to from 16.14% to 18.17%. As a convenient, low-cost and up-scalable solution route, chemical bath deposition (CBD) has exhibited impressive advantages in fabricating electron transporting materials like SnO 2 , achieving record efficiencies for regular n-i-p perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, for the hysteresis-free and potentially more stable inverted p-i-n PSCs, CBD processing is rarely studied to improve the device performance. In this work, we first present a CBD planar NiO x film as the efficient hole transport layer for the inverted perovskite solar cells (IPSCs). The morphologies and semiconducting properties of the NiO x film can be adjusted by varying the concentration of [Ni(H 2 O) x (NH 3 ) 6- x ] 2+ cation via in-situ monitoring of the CBD reaction process. The characterizations of ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, transient absorption spectroscopy, time-resolved photoluminescence suggest that the CBD planar NiO x film possesses enhanced conductivity and aligned energy band levels with perovskite, which benefits for the charge transport in the IPSCs. The devices based on planar NiO x at 50°C and low nickel precursor concentration achieved an enhanced efficiency from 16.14% to 18.17%. This work established an efficient CBD route to fabricate planar NiO x film for PSCs and paved the way for high performance PSCs with CBD-prepared hole transporting materials.

Graphene oxide modified PEDOT:PSS as an efficient hole transport layer for enhanced performance of hybrid silicon solar cells

In recent years, PEDOT:PSS/n-Silicon (n-Si) based hybrid solar cells (HSCs) have drawn a significant attention as promising alternative to the conventional Si solar cell technology. However, poor electrical performance of the PEDOT:PSS limits the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the device. Herein, tailoring the properties of the PEDOT:PSS via graphene oxide (GO) is investigated to use PEDOT:PSS-GO as an efficient hole transport layer (HTL) for the enhanced performance of the PEDOT:PSS/n-Si HSCs. A small amount of GO incorporation resulted in significantly improved structural, electrical, Si surface passivation properties of the PEDOT:PSS and hence the photovoltaic performance of the PEDOT:PSS-GO/n-Si HSCs. The study reveals that the oxygen functional groups on 2D-GO sheets interact with PEDOT:PSS and facilitates the improved electrical conductivity by >2 folds without affecting its optical properties. Further, the effective passivation of n-Si surface by the composite film has been found with enhanced minority carrier lifetime (∼1.7 folds). The PEDOT:PSS-GO/n-Si HSCs could achieve the highest PCE of 11.22% on device dimension of 1 cm2, which is absolute ∼4.14% higher with respect to that with the pristine PEDOT:PSS. The improved performance is attributed to the effective charge transport properties of the PEDOT:PSS-GO, interface passivation and thus efficient separation and collection of the photo-carriers for an optimum GO addition. The study establishes that PEDOT:PSS-GO composite could be used as an effective HTL for the efficient PEDOT:PSS/n-Si HSCs.

Back Cover Image

AbstractThis cover (DOI: 10.1002/inf2.12345) shows a multifunctional TPA‐azaBODIPY‐TPA small molecule with superior optoelectronic and photophysical properties. Material is shown to function as an efficient hole transport layer in perovskite solar cells reaching a power conversion efficiency of 17.4%, and as a robust electron donor in near‐infrared organic photodetectors absorbing light in the wavelength range of up to 800 nm. Offering two distinct optoelectronic functions, TPA‐azaBODIPY‐TPA is particularly attractive as it enables multi‐purpose applications while maintaining the ease of fabrication. image

An improved perovskite solar cell employing InxGa1-xAs as an efficient hole transport layer

An improved perovskite solar cell employing InxGa1-xAs as an efficient hole transport layer

Chemical Bath Deposition of NiOx‐NiSO4 Heterostructured Hole Transport Layer for Perovskite Solar Cells

Herein, the scalable chemical bath deposited NiOx‐NiSO4 heterostructured films are reported as the efficient hole transport layers (HTLs) in perovskite solar cells. The NiOx‐NiSO4 films show excellent hole extraction ability and reduce interfacial charge recombination in solar cell devices. By using NiOx‐NiSO4 HTLs, a high power conversion efficiency of 20.55% is obtained, which is about 12.23% greater than that of the pure NiOx transport layer. This study provides a simple solution‐processing route toward the large‐area production and fabrication of full inorganic transport layers for perovskite photovoltaics.