Increase In Power Conversion Efficiency Research Articles

Advanced Optoelectronic Modeling and Optimization of HTL-Free FASnI3/C60 Perovskite Solar Cell Architecture for Superior Performance.

In this study, a novel perovskite solar cell (PSC) architecture is presented that utilizes an HTL-free configuration with formamide tin iodide (FASnI3) as the active layer and fullerene (C60) as the electron transport layer (ETL), which represents a pioneering approach within the field. The elimination of hole transport layers (HTLs) reduces complexity and cost in PSC heterojunction structures, resulting in a simplified and more cost-effective PSC structure. In this context, an HTL-free tin HC(NH2)2SnI3-based PSC was simulated using the solar cell capacitance simulator (SCAPS) within a one-dimensional framework. Through this approach, the device performance of this novel HTL-free FASnI3-based PSC structure was engineered and evaluated. Key performance parameters, including the open-circuit voltage (Voc), short-circuit current density (Jsc), fill factor (FF), power conversion efficiency (PCE), I-V characteristics, and quantum efficiency (QE), were systematically assessed through the modulation of physical parameters across various layers of the device. A preliminary analysis indicated that the HTL-free configuration exhibited improved I-V characteristics, with a PCE increase of 1.93% over the HTL configuration due to improved electron and hole extraction characteristics, reduced current leakage at the back contact, and reduced trap-induced interfacial recombination. An additional boost to the device's key performance parameters has been achieved through the further optimization of several physical parameters, such as active layer thickness, bulk and interface defects, ETL thickness, carrier concentration, and back-contact materials. For instance, increasing the thickness of the active layer PSC up to 1500 nm revealed enhanced PV performance parameters; however, further increases in thickness have resulted in performance saturation due to an increased rate of hole-electron recombination. Moreover, a comprehensive correlation study has been conducted to determine the optimum thickness and donor doping level for the C60-ETL layer in the range of 10-200 nm and 1012-1019 cm-3, respectively. Optimum device performance was observed at an ETL-C60 ultra-thin thickness of 10 nm and a carrier concentration of 1019 cm-3. To maintain improved PCEs, bulk and interface defects must be less than 1016 cm-3 and 1015 cm-3, respectively. Additional device performance improvement was achieved with a back-contact work function of 5 eV. The optimized HTL-free FASnI3 structure demonstrated exceptional photovoltaic performance with a PCE of 19.63%, Voc of 0.87 V, Jsc of 27.86 mA/cm2, and FF of 81%. These findings highlight the potential for highly efficient photovoltaic (PV) technology solutions based on lead-free perovskite solar cell (PSC) structures that contribute to environmental remediation and cost-effectiveness.

Performance analysis for induction motor fed by reduced switch symmetrical multilevel inverter topology

Due to its capacity to supply more voltage levels than conventional 2-level inverters, multilevel inverters have attracted a lot of attention in recent years. Multilevel inverters may produce output waveforms that nearly approximate sinusoidal waveforms because to this characteristic, which also significantly lowers harmonic distortion. In many different power conversion systems, the introduction of reduced switch symmetrical multilevel inverter topologies has drawn significant interest. Numerous benefits, such as higher output voltage quality, reduced harmonic distortions, and increased power conversion efficiency, are provided by these novel topologies. The inclusion of these inverters in the feeding of induction motors is one of their many prominent uses. In this paper, a generalized topology is presented that generates nine levels using nine switching devices. To reduce complexity, switching pulses are generated using a low frequency pulse width modulation technique. MATLAB/Simulink is used to analyze the performance assessment of a unique three-phase symmetric cascaded multilevel inverter-based reduced switch symmetrical inverter fed induction motor drive, brushless DC (BLDC) motor and grid has been verified. According to the findings the total harmonic distortion (THD) is found to be 15% for a three-phase system and as the number of levels increases to 17 level the THD is 7.10%.

Solar PV based seventeen level reduced switch symmetrical multilevel inverter topology fed induction motor

Multilevel inverters have received a lot of interest in recent years due to their ability to deliver more voltage levels than typical two-level inverters. Because of this property, multilevel inverters can produce output waveforms that closely resemble sinusoidal waveforms, lowering harmonic distortion dramatically. The emergence of reduced switch symmetrical multilevel inverter topologies has developed the curiosity of many different power conversion systems. These new topologies offer numerous advantages, including greater output voltage quality, fewer harmonic distortions, and increased power conversion efficiency. The inclusion of these inverters in the feeding of induction motors is one of their many prominent uses. A 17 levels of multi-level inverter (MLI) topology is presented with reduced switch count and harmonic reduction for power quality improvement. The inverter is fed by isolated equal photovoltaic panels which act as direct current or DC source. To reduce complexity, switching pulses are generated using hybrid pulse width modulation technique which is designed as controller. Through the use of MATLAB/Simulink, the performance assessment of a unique cascaded multilevel inverter-based reduced switch symmetrical inverter feeding an induction motor drive has been verified. The harmonic distortion with reduced switches obtained is 7.47% which is comparatively less than when compared with conventional cascaded H-bridge topology.

Lowering Charge Transport Barriers by Eliminating the Electric Double Layer Residues to Reconstruct Adjacent SnO2 Nanocrystals for High‐Efficiency Flexible Perovskite Solar Cells

AbstractThe sol–gel method is efficient and cost‐effective for synthesizing SnO2 sol, wherein SnO2 nanocrystallites (NCs) are stabilized by electric double‐layer of solvated ions tightly bound to their surface. However, this strong binding makes the removal of electric double‐layer residues from the SnO2 electron transport layer (ETL) to be difficult at low temperatures. This hinders both the close contact and subsequent growth among adjacent SnO2 NCs, leading to severe carriers scattering at grain boundary, adversely affecting the electrical properties of SnO2 ETL. Herein, SnO2 sol is synthesized via an ethanol‐based sol–gel method and aqueous ammonia (NH3·H2O) is introduced to effectively clean stubborn electric double‐layer residues within the SnO2 ETL at a low temperature (80 °C). Removing residues reduces the gap among adjacent SnO2 NCs and promotes further reconstructed growth through oriented attachment (OA), thereby reducing the number of grain boundaries. Hence, the energy barriers for electron transport decrease within the SnO2 ETL. Furthermore, MHP prepared on the treated ETL has fine‐tuned energy level alignment, improving the electron extraction capacity. Consequently, flexible perovskite solar cells (f‐PSCs) incorporating this ETL achieved a notable increase in power conversion efficiency, rising from 19.16% to 23.71%, as well as superior mechanical stability.

Unveiling the Role of BODIPY Dyes as Small‐Molecule Hole Transport Material in Inverted Planar Perovskite Solar Cells

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have become a research hotspot since their dramatic increase in power conversion efficiency (PCE), surpassing 26% due to advances in cell engineering and interfacial layers. Within the last factor, hole transporting materials play a crucial role in enhancing device performance and stability. Among several molecular building blocks, BODIPYs are attractive for the design of novel hole transporting material (HTMs) due to their outstanding photophysical and charge transport properties easily tuned by synthetic modifications. Herein, the synthesis of five new BODIPY‐based HTMs PyBDP 1–5 are reported, functionalized at the meso‐ and α‐ positions with pyrenyl and arylamino units, respectively. The resulting compounds exhibit broad absorption in the visible region, remarkable thermal stability, narrow bandgaps, suitable energy levels, and good hole extraction capability, as subtracted from experimental and computational characterizations. The performance of the BODIPY derivatives as HTMs is evaluated in planar inverted (p‐i‐n) PSCs and compared to commonly used PTAA, resulting in highly efficient systems, reaching PCEs very close to that obtained with the reference polymer (21.51%). The incorporation of these BODIPY‐based HTMs result in an outstanding PCE of 20.37% for devices including PyBDP‐1 and 19.97% for devises containing PyBDP‐3, thus demonstrating that BODIPY derivatives are a promising alternative to obtain simple and efficient organic HTMs.

Bridging the buried interface with conjugated molecule for highly efficient carbon-based inorganic CsPbI2Br perovskite solar cells fabricated in air

Manipulating the buried interface of all-inorganic perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is essential to improve the performance of devices. However, the conventional modifiers of interface typically present insulating feature that can impede the transportation of carrier, leading to an inferior charge transport efficiency. Herein, we propose a conjugated molecule, 2,4-hexadienoic acid potassium salt, which can act as a bridge at the buried interface of device and improve the crystallization of perovskite film. Besides, this interfacial modifier also promotes larger and denser grains, passivating defects and suppress non-radiative recombination of buried interface. Simultaneously, the electrical performance of tin oxide film is enhanced and facilitate a better energy level alignment. Consequently, carbon electrodes-based PSCs (C-PSCs) are fabricated via a hot air-assisted method in air, and C-PSCs based on all-inorganic perovskite demonstrate significant enhancement of open circuit voltage (1.25 V) via conjugated molecule modification, and the power conversion efficiency (PCE) increase significantly from 10.86 % to 13.11 %. Moreover, unencapsulated target devices exhibit better stability than the control devices. This work offers a new idea to construct an interfacial bridge via conjugated molecule for efficient and stable C-PSCs fabricated in air.

Design of highly efficient 0D/1D TiO2 photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cells by simple TiCl4 pre-treatment of titanate nanotubes

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) represent a promising avenue for sustainable energy conversion, with the efficiency of these devices heavily reliant on the performance of the TiO2 photoanode. Despite significant advancements, optimizing the photoanode material for higher efficiency remains a challenge. This study introduces a novel approach to constructing a highly efficient, multifunctional 0D/1D TiO2 composite by simply pre-treating the TiO2 precursor, specifically one-dimensional (1D) H-titanate nanotubes, with TiCl4. The TiCl4 treatment not only encourages the extensive synthesis of the one-dimensional nanostructures (i.e., nanorods) but also facilitates the in situ hydrolysis to generate small crystals that attach to the surface of the nanorods. The TiO2 composite offers several essential benefits, including the expanded thickness, high surface area for superior dye adsorption, efficient diffuse light scattering induced by the aggregate structures, and fast charge transport within the film matrix, making it an exemplary component for DSCs. The photovoltaic performance test revealed that TiCl4 pre-treatment increased power conversion efficiency by 36.3 %, rising from 7.63 % of untreated cells to a striking value of 10.4 %, which is a new record when N719 is used as a sensitizer and iodide-based redox shuttle employed as an electrolyte. This research provides an effective strategy for developing highly efficient photoanode material for DSCs.

Advancing Integration of Direct C-H Arylation-Derived Star-Shaped Oligomers as Second Acceptors for Ternary Organic Solar Cells.

Organic solar cells (OSCs) could benefit from the ternary bulk heterojunction (BHJ), a method that allows for fine-tuning of light capture, cascade energy levels, and film shape, in order to increase their power conversion efficiency (PCE). In this work, the third components of PM6:Y6 and PM6:BTP-eC9 BHJs are a set of four star-shaped unfused ring electron acceptors (SSUFREAs), i.e., BD-IC, BFD-IC, BD-2FIC, and BFD-2FIC, that are facilely synthesized by direct C-H arylation. The four SSUFREAs all show complete complementary absorption with PM6, Y6, and BTP-eC9, which facilitates light harvesting and exciton collection. When BFD-2FIC is added as a third component, the PCEs of PM6:Y6 and PM6:BTP-eC9 binary BHJs are able to be improved from 15.31% to 16.85%, and from 16.23% to 17.23%, respectively, showing that BFD-2FIC is useful for most effective ternary OSCs in general, and increasing short circuit current (JSC) and better film morphology are two additional benefits. The ternary PM6:Y6:BFD-2FIC exhibits a 9.7% percentage of increase in PCE compared to the PM6:Y6 binary BHJ, which is one of the highest percentage increases among the reported ternary BHJs, showing the huge potential of BFD-2FIC for ternary BHJ OSCs.

Improving Hybrid Tin Halide Films by Tin Trifluoromethanesulfonate for Lead-Free Perovskite Solar Cells.

Tin-based perovskite solar cells (Sn-PSCs) without toxic lead ions outperform other types of lead-free PSCs in terms of photovoltaic performance. To avoid the oxidation of Sn2+ cations and the formation of vacancy defects, most reports involve the addition of SnF2 to the perovskite precursor solution, but hybrid tin halide (Sn-PVK) films still suffer from poor crystallinity and stability. In this work, we used an alternative additive of tin trifluoromethanesulfonate (Sn(OTF)2). Compared to SnF2, the solubility of Sn(OTF)2 in the precursor solution is greatly improved, and the crystal nucleation process is delayed, resulting in the enhancement of crystal growth. The coordination ability of the OTF- anions suppresses the oxidation of Sn2+ cations, which promotes the stability of Sn-PVK films. By replacing the conventional additive of SnF2 with Sn(OTF)2, the device achieves an increase in power conversion efficiency from 7.96% to 10.3%, while the stability of the devices is improved simultaneously.

Modulation on electrostatic potential to build a firm bridge at NiOx/perovskite interface for efficient and stable perovskite solar cells

The NiOx/perovskite interface in NiOx-based inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is one of the main issues that restrict device performance and long-term stability, as the unwanted interfacial defects and undesirable redox reactions cause severe interfacial non-radiative recombination and open-circuit voltage (Voc) loss. Herein, a series of self-assembled molecules (SAMs) are employed to bind, bridge, and stabilize the NiOx/perovskite interface by regulating the electrostatic potential. Based on systematically theoretical and experimental studies, 4-pyrazolecarboxylic acid (4-PCA) is proven as an efficient molecule to simultaneously passivate the NiOx and perovskite surface traps, release the interfacial tensile stress as well as quench the detrimental interface redox reactions, thus effectively suppressing the interfacial non-radiative recombination and enhancing the quality of perovskite crystals. Consequently, the PSCs with 4-PCA treatment exhibited an eminently increased Voc, leading to a significant increase in power conversion efficiency from 21.28% to 23.77%. Furthermore, the unencapsulated devices maintain 92.6% and 81.3% of their initial PCEs after storing in air with a relative humidity of 20%–30% for 1000 h and heating at 65 °C for 500 h in a N2-filled glovebox, respectively.

Chemical Reaction of FA Cations Enables Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells.

Organometal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have received great attention owing to a rapid increase in power conversion efficiency (PCE) over the last decade. However, the deficit of long-term stability is a major obstacle to the implementation of PSCs in commercialization. The defects in perovskite films are considered as one of the primary causes. To address this issue, isocyanic acid (HNCO) is introduced as an additive into the perovskite film, in which the added molecules form covalent bonds with FA cations via a chemical reaction. This chemical reaction gives rise to an efficient passivation on the perovskite film, resulting in an improved film quality, a suppressed non-radiation recombination, a facilitated carrier transport, and optimization of energy band levels. As a result, the HNCO-based PSCs achieve a high PCE of 24.41% with excellent storage stability both in an inert atmosphere and in air. Different from conventional passivation methods based on coordination effects, this work presents an alternative chemical reaction for defect passivation, which opens an avenue toward defect-mitigated PSCs showing enhanced performance and stability.

Optimization of boron depletion for boron-doped emitter of N-type TOPCon solar cells

During the preparation of boron-doped emitters for TOPCon solar cells, boron atoms accumulate, forming a boron-rich layer (BRL). Oxidation, during the boron diffusion process, can eliminate the BRL. Prolonged oxidation which forms a SiO2 layer can remove the BRL, also act as a protective mask for the front surface. Nevertheless, during high-temperature thermal oxidation, boron will be redistributed. Boron reaches a higher equilibrium concentration in SiO2 than in the silicon wafer, and the SiO2/Si interface shifts inward during SiO2 formation. Simultaneously, the high temperature during oxidation prompts the boron inside the silicon wafer to diffuse deeper. The dual effects of oxidation and diffusion cause boron to be depleted near the surface of the silicon wafer. Boron depletion leads to a reverse bending of the energy band, which hampers carrier collection and impedes further enhancement of cell power conversion efficiency. In this paper, the oxidation process was mainly adjusted to reduce surface boron depletion, resulting in approximately 0.09%abs. increase in power conversion efficiency compared to pre-optimization.

Interface passivation using diketopyrrolopyrrole‐oligothiophene copolymer to improve the performance of perovskite solar cells

AbstractThe unprecedented increase in power conversion efficiency (PCE) of low‐cost organo‐inorganic halide perovskite solar cells (OIHPSCs) toward its Shockley‐Queisser limit intriguingly has prompted researchers to investigate the disadvantages of these devices. The issue of operational stability is the main hurdle challenging the way forward for commercialization. To address this, various engineering processes like composition, additives, anti‐solvents, bulk and interface passivation, and deposition techniques have been widely applied to manage both extrinsic and intrinsic factors that induce degradation of the OIHPSCs. In this work, we employed interface passivation, which is an efficient approach to reduce nonradiative recombination. An ultrathin layer of electron donor diketopyrrolopyrrole‐oligothiophene copolymer (DPP860) was applied as an interface passivator between the photoactive layer and [6,6]‐phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). The role of the interface passivation on optoelectronic properties of the OIHPSCs was assessed using current density versus voltage (J‐V) characteristics, photoluminescence spectroscopy and time‐resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. The findings show devices treated with DPP860 exhibit enhanced current density (Jsc) and fill factor, attributing for suppressed nonradiative recombination. Moreover, it shows relative improvement in the stability of the device. The results of this finding reveal that using oligothiophene copolymer can enhance the photovoltaic performance and the stability of inverted OIHPSCs in the ambient environment.

Suppression of Thermally Induced Surface Traps in Colloidal Quantum Dot Solids via Ultrafast Pulsed Light.

Thermal annealing (TA) of colloidal quantum dot (CQD) films is considered an important process for recent high-performing CQD solar cells (SCs) due to its beneficial effects on CQD solids, including enhanced electrical conductivity, denser packing of CQD films, and the removal of organic residues and solvents. However, the conventional TA for CQDs, which requires several minutes, leads to hydroxylation and oxidation on the CQD surface, resulting in the formation of trap states and a subsequent decline in SC performance. To address these challenges, this study introduces a flashlight annealing (FLA) technique that significantly reduces the annealing time to the millisecond scale. Through the FLA approach, it successfully suppressed hydroxylation and oxidation, resulting in decreased trap states within the CQD solids while simultaneously preserving their charge transport properties. As a result, CQD SCs treated with FLA exhibited a notable improvement, achieving an open-circuit voltage of 0.66V compared to 0.63V in TA-treated devices, leading to an increase in power conversion efficiency from 12.71% to 13.50%.

Green perspective of N-CDs towards energy crisis and photodegradation of toxic dyes

Here we have presented a general overview of an environmental friendly, one-step, cost-effective, and efficient microwave irradiation method for the preparation of self heteroatom doped Nitrogen doped carbon dots (N-CDs) which demonstrated an average size of less than 10 nm and an interplaner distance of 0.334 nm. These N-CDs possess 2.35 eV energy gap with 65.5% fluorescence quantum yield. The surfaces of these graphitic-like structures are doped with (S, P, K, Mg, Zn) = 1% along with the extra passivating agent nitrogen (N). They have demonstrated wider absorption (between 300 and 550 nm) and emission (between 400 and 600 nm) bands and also managed enormous active surface sites and defects, that further extend its usage in energy harvesting, storage and photo catalysis owing to their unique property of electron transport and collection system. In addition, we have prepared, tested, and optimised new TiO2/N-CDs composite as photo anode and N-CDs/CB composite as photo cathode for application in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The achieved power conversion efficiency of the DSSC employed photoanode N-CDs/TiO2 and counter electrode carbon black/N-CDs, demonstrated a substantial improvement, in photo current and photo voltage owing to their multiple factor visible light absorption, effective electron separation, and longer recombination time resulted a Jsc. of 22.90 mA cm2, Voc. of 0.780 V, FF. of 74% and an overall PCE of about 13.22% approximating 2.5-fold increase in power conversion efficiency as compared to that of pure TiO2 and platinum based DSSC, where Jsc. (= 10 mA cm2), Voc. (= 0.750 V) and a total of 5.42% power efficiency. Furthermore, TiO2 was modified with Heteroatom-doped N-CDs using a novel ultrasonic immersion technique, and demonstrated greater photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue (85%) with a rate constant of 0.1068 in accordance with the pure TiO2 film and N-CDs which have showed only 20% and 30% photodegradation with lower rate constants under short UV irradiation, demonstrating the formation of reactive oxygen species and H+ ions in the sample solution resulting enhanced effective mobility of electrons and holes between TiO2/N-CDs composite nanomaterial, resulted greater photo degradation.

Suppressed Gold Penetration with the Molybdenum Oxide Interlayer to Increase Power Conversion Efficiency of Perovskite Solar Cells

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have undergone an unprecedentedly rapid development in both power conversion efficiency (PCE) and operational durability. However, a number of unknown challenges remain before PSC products are ready to launch. Herein, it is demonstrated that the vacuum deposition of gold (Au) onto the organic hole‐transport layer (HTL) results in Au penetration into the perovskite layer. This Au penetration proves to be a limiting factor in PCE due to detrimental carrier recombination caused by the penetrated Au component inside the perovskite light absorber. To mitigate this issue, a thin molybdenum oxide (MoOx) interlayer between the organic HTL and the Au electrode is introduced, effectively reducing the Au penetration and suppressing the carrier recombination. Consequently, this MoOx introduction increases PCEs from ≈16.9% to ≈19.6% by ≈2.7%. Furthermore, using the MoOx interlayer improves the long‐term durability of PSCs. These findings are crucial in elucidating a basic mechanism that limits PCE and in advancing the fabrication of PSC products with even higher performance.

A Direct Chemical Approach to Mitigate Environment Lead Contamination in Perovskite Solar Cells

Current guidelines indicate that the lead levels in perovskite solar cells are sufficiently low, putting them on par with the safety of other lead-containing electronics. Yet, there remains ambiguity regarding the exact environmental impact of lead derived from perovskite. When this lead enters the soil, it has the potential to permeate plants and, subsequently, our food supply, at a rate that is a staggering ten times more than other lead contaminants from human-induced activities. Given this, it becomes vital to ensure that lead does not pollute our environment as we further adopt these technologies. In this study, we propose a novel method using polymer net bones to anchor the lead, which effectively reduces the risk of lead leaching due to rainfall. Perovskite Solar Cells (PSCs) integrated with this polymer net bone show improved operational efficiency and hold significant promise in curtailing lead leakage, reinforcing the ecological integrity of perovskite solutions. When enhanced with Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA), these PSCs register a notable increase in Power Conversion Efficiency (PCE), scoring 24.7% as opposed to the 22.3% in PSCs devoid of PVA. Additionally, PVA-augmented PSCs outperform in stability when compared to their traditional counterparts.

Effect of a radiative cooling emitter with indium tin oxide near-infrared heat mirror on the performance of photovoltaic module

ABSTRACT Recent research on cooling photovoltaic (PV) modules through radiative cooling methods has attracted significant interest, due to the temperature reduction that enhances the power generation of PV modules. This study uses a transparent-radiative heat mirror (TRHM) for cooling silicon PV modules, utilizing a combination of an indium tin oxide (ITO) layer and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to enable visible light transmission while reflecting unnecessary heating photons. Fabricated by a low-cost method, the novelty honeycomb-like surface microstructure of PDMS enhances the material’s emissivity. Combined ITO layer with honeycomb-like PDMS, the film results in a reflectivity of 0.65 in the near-infrared range (1.1–2.5 μm, NIR) and an emissivity of 0.93 in the mid-far infrared range (8–13 μm, MIR). PV modules covered with TRHM (PV-TRHM) demonstrated a significant emissivity of 0.90 in MIR, leading to a temperature of 44.2°C, which has a 7.2°C reduction compared to the 53.6°C bare PV. Additionally, a 0.81% increase in power conversion efficiency (PCE) was achieved. These approaches hold promise for efficient PV heat management in engineering projects.

Highly transparent and efficient Pt/CeOx counter electrodes for bifacial dye-sensitized solar cells

In this research, we introduce a pioneering approach for enhancing the electrocatalytic performance of counter electrodes (CEs) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) by synthesizing Pt/CeOx hybrid nanocatalysts through a refined polyol reduction technique. This method facilitates the accurate production of Pt nanoparticles supported on ceria, leveraging their strong metal-oxide interactions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was employed to confirm the co-presence of both metallic and oxidized states of Pt, as well as the mixed valence states of ceria within these nanostructures. The electrocatalytic behavior of these nanocatalysts was rigorously evaluated using cyclic voltammetry (CV), Tafel polarization analyses, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). We identified an optimal Pt/Ce ratio of 1:0.1, which significantly enhanced the kinetics of the iodine reduction reaction (IRR), a crucial factor for efficient DSSC operation. Photovoltaic testing under one-sun AM 1.5 G conditions demonstrated that DSSCs with the optimized Pt/CeOx CEs exhibited a 10 % increase in power conversion efficiency (PCE) comparted to control cells. This study highlights the effectiveness of Pt/CeOx hybrid nanocatalysts in improving bifacial DSSC performance, combining the catalytic strengths of platinum with the unique properties of ceria.

The impact of carbon nanoparticles derived from sucrose, glucose, and fructose precursors on the performance of fully printed perovskite solar cells

Carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) have emerged as promising biomaterials with applications in energy harvesting devices such as nanogenerators, photovoltaic devices, and electrochemical energy storage. Fully printed perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are gaining attention in solar cell technology. However, the use of CNPs, specifically those synthesized from different carbohydrate precursors (monosaccharide and disaccharide), in fully printed PSCs is not well-explored. This study investigates the impact of CNPs derived from sucrose, glucose, and fructose precursors on the photovoltaic performance of fully printed PSCs with FTO/TiO2/ZrO2/CNPs/Carbon structure. Incorporating CNPs into fully printed PSCs resulted in a notable increase in power conversion efficiency (PCE) compared to cells without CNPs. PSCs with CNPs derived from fructose achieved an impressive PCE of 9.67%, surpassing the 7.91% PCE observed in PSCs without the inclusion of CNPs. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was employed to assess charge transfer at contact interfaces. The synthesized CNPs underwent comprehensive characterization through various techniques such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), and cyclic voltammetry (CV).