Organic-inorganic Solar Cells Research Articles

Smart materials for sustainable energy

In the new era of technologies, different smart or responsive materials are used which can respond to external stimuli, such as a specific amount of mechanical stress, pressure, temperature, pH, or sunlight radiations, by modifying their shape or dimensions or mechanical properties. As global temperatures rise and weather patterns become more erratic and severe. The risk to communities with energy-passive structures is growing, smart materials such as smart rooftops, thermoelectrics, photovoltaics, pyroelectrics, chromoactive, photoluminescent, as well as other innovations, help to conserve renewable energy smartly and sustainably. This review paper reflects on the applications of different smart materials as renewable smart resources. Intelligent quantum dot solar cells, Schottky solar cells, organic thin-film photovoltaic cells, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), and organic-inorganic heterojunction solar cells have high conversion efficiency, low cost, and possess wide absorption spectra that reach the near-infrared range. Biomechanical energy can be transformed into green energy using triboelectric and piezoelectric-based smart nanogenerators such as zinc oxide nanowires. Shape memory materials such as Nitinol (NiTi) have been embedded in the wind turbine blades to enhance aerodynamic efficiency. Piezoelectric nanogenerators can convert mechanical energy directly into electrical energy by using wireless sensors to harvest energy from moving water in hydroelectric power plants. Thermoelectric materials such as silver antimony telluride (AgSbTe2) offer a sustainable energy option, which employs industrial waste heat to produce power. Smart materials like graphene are more reliable and effective than carbon nanotubes for storing green hydrogen. Smart non-enzymatic biofuel cells are used in biomedical gadgets such as anesthesia machines and pacemakers, which are self-powered and have great sensitivity. Shape memory materials (SMM) are introduced in natural gas and oil reservoirs because they offer exceptional qualities such as the shape memory effect (SME), lightweight, corrosion resistance, and superelasticity, which enhance the performance and robustness of offshore industries. These new advancements, challenges, and applications of smart materials for renewable energy are covered in this review paper.

Effect of substituent structure in fluorene based compounds: Experimental and theoretical study

Fluorene–based low molar weight derivatives were synthesized in Suzuki reactions by using key starting materials 9–benzylidene–2,7–dibromofluorene or 3–(2,7–dibromofluoren–9–ylmethylen)–9–ethylcarbazole and various aryl boronic acids. Photophysical properties of the compounds were investigated in different solutions as well as in solid state. The thermal investigations showed that the obtained compounds are highly thermally stable with temperatures of 5% mass loss (T5%) in the range of 311–432 °C. Some of the compounds also exhibited very high glass transition temperatures exceeding 125 °C. The presented molecules were electrochemically active and showed the energy band gap below 2.97 eV. The investigations were supported by DFT calculations and the photovoltaic ability of the presented compounds was tested in the organic–inorganic solar cells.

A simulation study of all inorganic lead-free CsSnBr3 tin halide perovskite solar cell

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have achieved champion efficiency from 3.8% to 25.2% in a decade. The major issues associated with perovskite solar cells are stability and toxicity. These PSCs quickly degrade in the ambient environment. The use of toxic lead in the hybrid organic–inorganic solar cells makes them unsafe as future technology. Recently, tin-based perovskite solar cells have gained attention as an alternative for resolving the issues of stability and toxicity. Numerical simulations help in finding the possible alternatives and understanding the underlying mechanism to solve the toxicity and stability problem. The present work aims to simulate lead-free perovskite solar cells and optimise the width of each layer. SCAPS_1D simulation software is used here to conduct the study. CsSnBr3 is used as an absorber layer, while SnO2 is used as an electron transport layer, and CuI is used as a hole transport layer. The simulation is conducted at 300 K temperature and AM1.5G solar spectrum. The device achieves a remarkable photovoltaic conversion efficiency of 17.06%, an open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 1.19 V, a current density of 16.94 mA/cm2, and a fill factor of 84.19%. Thus, tin-based halide perovskite paves the way for future environmentally friendly and stable perovskite solar cells.

Achieving low contact resistivity in PEDOT:PSS/n-Si solar cells

Good conductivity and transparency in the visible spectrum along with low processing temperatures and ease of fabrication make Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) a widely accepted polymer for organic-inorganic hybrid heterojunction solar cells. Although the overall conductivity of the PEDOT:PSS is high, the PSS segregates more at the surfaces of the deposited film. This leads to high contact resistivity of PEDOT:PSS film with metal and silicon. In this report, we explore the effect of the spin coating rates on the contact resistivity of PEDOT:PSS with the metal and silicon and the associated performance of PEDOT:PSS/n-Si solar cells. Two different spin speeds of 1000 rpm and 4000 rpm were used to deposit the PEDOT:PSS films over silicon. The PEDOT:PSS films were also deposited in single- and double-layer forms. We could achieve very low contact resistivity of PEDOT:PSS with silicon through spin speed optimizations. Hence, the overall performance of the PEDOT:PSS/n-Si solar cells improves with the spin speed for both single- and double-layer PEDOT:PSS film depositions.

The organic-inorganic solar cells device structure with different transport layers and compounds: The Guidelines for researchers

In current investigations the optoelectronic properties of perovskite structure-based (PSB) compounds are collected. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) dependency on device design and different transport layers are given in detail. The number of PSB compounds is taken into account as emerging materials for optoelectronic and spintronics applications. The electronic properties suggest that these PSB compounds have many properties starts from insulator to conductors and semiconductors. Furthermore, the best compounds for optoelectronic applications are suggested, which are organic-inorganic PSB (AMPbX3 (A=CH3NH3, X=Cl, Br, I) compounds, best for optoelectronic applications especially for solar cells.

Optical dispersion and photovoltaic performance of safranin thin films solar cells in hybrid organic-inorganic isotype heterojunction configuration

This paper introduces detailed evaluations of the structural and optical properties of thermally evaporated safranin O (SO) thin films to fabricate a hybrid organic-inorganic isotype heterojunction solar cell. The structural investigations revealed the polycrystalline nature of films with a smooth homogeneous nanorods-based surface. The measured transmittance, reflectance, and absorbance showed that the deposited film exhibits high absorption features with an energy gap of about 2.21 eV. Moreover, the analyzed dispersion behavior is interpreted in the light of the one-oscillator model, estimating all dispersion parameters and the electronic polarizability. The electrical properties of Ag/SO/p-Si/Al isotype heterojunction are investigated under dark and illumination. The ideality factor, rectification ratio, reverse saturation current, the barrier height of the engineered heterojunction are extracted. Furthermore, the photovoltaic characteristics are tested under different light intensities, and the current design achieved superior performance with Voc, Jsc, and PCE of about 0.803 volts, 8.898 mA/cm2 5.2 %, respectively.

Study of Design and Device Modeling of Double layered Perovskite Solar Cells

Recently, organic-inorganic perovskite-based solar cells have become a revolution in photovoltaic field due to their unique properties. Several studies were focused on perovskite solar cells based on Pb perovskite layer as lead provides strong absorption of photons and have high efficiency. However, the factor of toxicity, stability and ecological challenges of these devices is the main challenge to the progress in commercial production. In this, study and numerical modeling of perovskite solar cells using an alternative candidate which is tin as a perovskite material has been carried out. This later is investigated in order to overcome the toxicity, stability and ecological challenges effects on perovskite solar cells, as they exhibit similar photovoltaic performances as Pb-perovskite solar cells. Therefore, the effect of single and double absorbent i.e. CH3NH3SnI3 and CH3NH3SnBr3 and no Hole Transport Layer is studied and investigated to enhance the conversion efficiency of perovskite devices. The obtained simulation results illustrate that perovskite solar cells based on no HTL and double absorbent layer exhibit 21.3% of power conversion efficiency compared to that with other HTL materials. Thus, adding double absorbent layer in perovskite solar cell design possibly will be considered as novel designing for future Sn-perovskite solar cells. The numerical simulation was performed using 1DSolar Cell Capacitance Simulator (1D- SCAPS).

Cd-doped ZnO-based electron transport layer for organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite cells: Experimental and numerical study

Organic-inorganic solar cells (PSCs) are considered emergent photovoltaics (PV) technology. For better performance and stability of the PSCs, the selection of the electron transport layer (ETL) is vital. In this study, Cd doped ZnO (CZO) nanoparticles (NPs) are synthesized using the solution process. The optical properties of the CZO NPs were determined experimentally. With Cd doping, the optical bandgap was reduced and the lowest bandgap was obtained for 2% Cd doping. With further increase of Cd doping concentrations, the bandgap was slightly increased. However, the highest values of refractive index were obtained for Cd doping of 1%. The optical parameters were used to simulate the n-i-p (FTO/ETL/MAPbI3/HTL/Au)-structured PSCs using gpvdm solar simulator. The simulated parameters viz. short circuit current density (Jsc), open circuit voltage (Voc), fill factor (FF), and power conversion efficiency (η) of the CZOs-based PSCs were compared with the parameters obtained for ZnO ETL. An efficiency of 26.07% was achieved for PSC with 1% Cd-doped ZnO, which is 9.72% higher than the efficiency of ZnO-based PSC (η ∼ 23.76%). These experimental results proved an opportunity to improve the performance of the PSCs via Cd doping.

Efficient and Stable Carbon‐Based CsPbIBr2 Perovskite Solar Cells by 4‐Aminomethyltetrahydropyran Acetate Modification

AbstractInorganic cesium lead halide perovskite solar cells have attracted widespread attention owing to their excellent stability relative to organic–inorganic solar cells. However, all‐inorganic perovskite solar cells without hole transport layers and using carbon layers as electrodes have serious energy level mismatch problems. To overcome this problem, here, the CsPbIBr2 surface is treated with 4‐aminomethyltetrahydropyran acetate to form a gradient energy band on the CsPbIBr2 perovskite/carbon interface. As a result, the hole extraction efficiency is successfully improved, and the morphology and crystallization of the perovskite layer are also improved. Moreover, the nonradiative recombination inside the perovskite and the charge recombination at the interface are effectively inhibited. Therefore, the power conversion efficiency of CsPbIBr2 solar cell is enhanced to 10.12%, and the high photovoltage of 1.32 V is obtained under one solar illumination, which are both higher than the pristine one (7.79%, 1.23V, respectively).

Decorating wide band gap CH3NH3PbBr3 perovskite with 4AMP for highly efficient and enhanced open circuit voltage perovskite solar cells

Halides based organic-inorganic solar cells have attracted huge attention for efficient energy harvesters owing to their low fabrication cost, large functioning area, long lifetime, and high conversion efficiency. Here we report the fabrication of pristine and aminomethyl piperidinium (4AMP) doped CH3NH3PbBr3 based thin film using spin coating technique to explore its potential for energy harvesting. The structural analysis confirmed the development of the rhombohedral structure of pristine and doped CH3NH3PbBr3. SEM and AFM images revealed that grains for the pure sample are highly compact linked with each other with sharp grain boundaries but their size increased when doped with 4AMP. A direct bandgap of 2.341 eV is noticed for pristine which is slightly decreased to 2.311 eV as a result of doping. The calculation of space charge limited current, PL decay profile analysis, charge transfer resistance, and Mott Schottky analysis provide quite convincing evidence regarding the high conversion efficiency of these films. A sufficiently high value of short circuit current density resulted in high efficiency of pristine MAPbBr3 i.e., 8.46% which increased to 10.21% due to improvement of solar cells parameters such as Voc of 1.46 V when doped with 4AMP. These values of efficiencies make the halide based organic compositions viable for solar cell applications.

Optimization of lead-free perovskite solar cells in normal-structure with WO3 and water-free PEDOT: PSS composite for hole transport layer by SCAPS-1D simulation

Toxic elements such as lead, instability, and low efficiency are some of the challenges of producing organic-inorganic solar cells. In this research, methylammonium Sn-based halide perovskite ( MASnI 3 ) with less toxicity and a normal structure was modeled. The simulated cell configuration consisted of FTO / PC 61 BM / MASnI 3 / PEDOT : PSS + WO 3 / Cu layers. In this research, water-free poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly styrene sulfonate (PEDOT: PSS) and tungsten trioxide ( WO 3 ) nanoparticles were used as the hole‐transport layer (HTL) and phenyl- C 61 -butyric acid methyl ester ( PC 61 BM ) as the electron-transport layer (ETL). This research investigated the effects of variation in the device parameters of some layers on the performance parameters and determined the optimal value for each layer to improve power conversion efficiency (PCE). In another structure, the absorber layer was replaced with formamidinium tin iodide-based perovskite ( FASnI 3 ), and after finding the optimal values for the device parameters, the results were compared with the previous structure. The comparison results indicated that the structure with FASnI 3 outperforms MASnI 3 . The simulations were conducted in the SCAPS-1D environment. The optimal results obtained from the structure with FASnI 3 -based perovskite after optimizations were as follows: short-circuit current density ( J SC ) of 24.65 mA / cm 2 , open-circuit voltage ( V OC ) of 1.12 V, fill factor (%FF) of 86.02%, and PCE of 23.69%. • A water-free PEDOT was studied. • The effect of increasing the doping concentration was investigated. • Effects of the absorber layer with formamidinium-based perovskite ( FASnI 3 ), was investigated. • High performance solar cell was obtained by optimization.

High Efficiency (9.60) of CI Perovskites base solar cells with PCBM (ETM)and P3HT(HTM)

Due to their easy manufacturing, low production, excellent light harvest characteristics and high efficiency they have been more preferred in the last few years by organic-inorganic perivoskite solar cells in a photovoltaic research culture.In this research (PCBM) was used as Electron Transport Material (ETM) and (PHT) as Hole Transport Material (HTM). where used with the perovskite (CHNHPbcl3) and we changed the thickness of perovskite, ETM and HTM. And changed effective density of states (CB,VB) with these varibles an efficiency of 9.60 was obtained at 333.15(k).Solar cell concept evaluation is performed with the Solar Cell power simulator (SCAPS). This model optimizes different parameters such as thickness, density of absorber layer of electron transport material (ETM, ND and NA) and concentrations of doping of hole transport material (HTM, for example). This model also optimizes various parameters. Electrons and holes based on the equation of poisson and continuity can be achieved and simulated CH NH Pbcl is efficient in thickness (100nm).

Superior photo-carrier diffusion dynamics in organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites revealed by spatiotemporal conductivity imaging

The outstanding performance of organic-inorganic metal trihalide solar cells benefits from the exceptional photo-physical properties of both electrons and holes in the material. Here, we directly probe the free-carrier dynamics in Cs-doped FAPbI3 thin films by spatiotemporal photoconductivity imaging. Using charge transport layers to selectively quench one type of carriers, we show that the two relaxation times on the order of 1 μs and 10 μs correspond to the lifetimes of electrons and holes in FACsPbI3, respectively. Strikingly, the diffusion mapping indicates that the difference in electron/hole lifetimes is largely compensated by their disparate mobility. Consequently, the long diffusion lengths (3~5 μm) of both carriers are comparable to each other, a feature closely related to the unique charge trapping and de-trapping processes in hybrid trihalide perovskites. Our results unveil the origin of superior diffusion dynamics in this material, crucially important for solar-cell applications.

Superficial Synthesis of CdS Quantum Dots for an Efficient Perovskite-Sensitized Solar Cell

In this paper, a thorough investigation of cadmium sulfide nanoparticle characteristics has been studied as a result of the wide attention and enormous application in a solar cell. Perovskite-sensitized solar cells (PSSCs) are a favorably effectual and sanitary hybrid, organic–inorganic solar cell device. The simple way uses synthesized cost-effective CdS quantum dots (QDs) via the sol–gel approach and also investigates their structural, electronic, and vibrational properties of CdS nanoparticles with the density functional theory method in B3LYP. Moreover, we use high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) techniques to confirm our calculations and acquire good agreement to the structural analysis of CdS QD formation. The maximum grain diameter is obtained from a HRTEM image, at ∼4 nm. The particle size analyzer that obtained ∼4 nm of CdS QD nanoparticles was determine via a dynamic light scattering study. The results demonstrated that the fabricated CdS QD-based dye-sensitized solar cell and PSSC represented a maximum power conversion efficiency (η) of 0.5 and 1.8% at 1 sun condition. This efficiency was improved by approximately 72%, associated with that of the reference cell.

Solid-State Solar Cells Based on TiO2 Nanowires and CH3NH3PbI3 Perovskite

Perovskite inorganic-organic solar cells are fabricated as a sandwich structure of mesostructured TiO2 as electron transport layer (ETL), CH3NH3PbI3 as active material layer (AML), and Spiro-OMeTAD as hole transport layer (HTL). The crystallinity, structural morphology, and thickness of TiO2 layer play a crucial role to improve the overall device performance. The randomly distributed one dimensional (1D) TiO2 nanowires (TNWs) provide excellent light trapping with open voids for active filling of visible light absorber compared to bulk TiO2. Solid-state photovoltaic devices based on randomly distributed TNWs and CH3NH3PbI3 are fabricated with high open circuit voltage Voc of 0.91 V, with conversion efficiency (CE) of 7.4%. Mott-Schottky analysis leads to very high built-in potential (Vbi) ranging from 0.89 to 0.96 V which indicate that there is no depletion layer voltage modulation in the perovskite solar cells fabricated with TNWs of different lengths. Moreover, finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) analysis revealed larger fraction of photo-generated charges due to light trapping and distribution due to field convergence via guided modes, and improved light trapping capability at the interface of TNWs/CH3NH3PbI3 compared to bulk TiO2.

Numerical Analysis of CsSnGeI<sub>3</sub> Perovskite Solar Cells Using SCAPS-1D

Recently, organic-inorganic perovskite-based solar cells have become promising devices due to their unique properties in the photovoltaic field. However, the factor of toxicity, stability, high production cost and complicated fabrication processes of these devices is a challenge to their progress in commercial production. Here a numerical modelling of Caesium Tin–Germanium Tri-Iodide (CsSnGeI₃) as an efficient perovskite light absorber material is carried out. In this paper, different inorganic Hole Transport Materials (HTMs) such as Cu₂O, CuI, CuSbS₂, CuSCN and NiO have been analyzed with C₆₀ as the Electron Transport Material (ETM). We intend to replace the conventional hole and electron transport materials such as TiO₂ and Spiro-OMeTAD which have been known to be susceptible to light induced degradation. Moreover, the influence of the Electron Transport Layer (ETL) and the perovskite layer properties, bandgap, doping concentration and working temperature for various Hole Transport Layers (HTL) on the overall cell performance have been rigorously investigated. The design of the proposed PSC is performed utilizing SCAPS- 1D simulator and for optimum device an efficiency greater than 30% was obtained. The results indicate that CsSnGeI₃ and C₆₀ are viable candidates for use as an absorber layer and electron transport layer in high-efficiency perovskite solar cells, with none of the drawbacks that other PSCs have.

The Effects Of N-GaAs Substrate Orientations on The Electrical Performance of PANI/N-GaAs Hybrid Solar Cell Devices

This paper reports the fabrication and electrical characterization of hybrid organic-inorganic solar cell based on the deposition of polyaniline (PANI) on n-type GaAs substrate with three different crystal orientations namely Au/PANI/(100) n-GaAs/(Ni-Au), Au/PANI/(110) n-GaAs/(Ni-Au), and Au/PANI/(311)B n-GaAs/(Ni-Au) using spin coating technique. The effect of crystallographic orientation of n-GaAs on solar cell efficiency of the hybrid solar cell devices has been studied utilizing current density-voltage (J-V) measurements under illumination conditions. Additionally, the influence of planes of n-GaAs on the diode parameters of the same devices has been investigated by employing current-voltage (I-V) characteristics in the dark conditions at room temperature. The experimental observations showed that the best performance was obtained for solar cells fabricated with the structure of Au/PANI/(311)B n-GaAs/(Ni-Au). The open-circuit voltage (Voc), short circuit current density (Jsc), and solar cell efficiency () of the same device were shown the values of 342 mV, 0.294 mAcm-2, 0.0196%, respectively under illuminated condition. All the solar cell characteristics were carried out under standard AM 1.5 at room temperature. Also, diode parameters of PANI/(311)B n-GaAs heterostructures were calculated from the dark I-V measurements revealed the lower reverse saturation current (Io) of 3.0×10-9A, higher barrier height () of 0.79 eV and lower ideality factor (n) of 3.16.

Organic-inorganic perovskite-based solar cell designs for high conversion efficiency: A comparative study by SCAPS simulation

Solar energy is the centre of attention and major need of the world. The advancement in the photovoltaic devices plays the key role in the path of solar energy applications. The progress in the perovskite solar cell technologies in the direction of their theoretical power conversion efficiency necessitates elusive control above the carrier dynamics all over the whole device. In the present investigation, a comparative study via SCAPS simulation has been done for the optimization of the device in the light of high power conversion efficiency of organic–inorganic perovskite-based photovoltaic solar cells. Perovskite absorber layers CH3NH3PbI3 and CH3NH3SnI3 are sandwiched in between the TiO2 as electron transport layer (ETL) and spiro-OMeTAD as hole transport layer (HTL) to design the hetrostructures for the simulation. We have achieved enhancement in the power conversion efficiencies of both the devices as compared to the reported experimental and theoretical studies previously.

Enhanced photovoltaic conversion of ZnO/PANI/NiOx heterostructure devices with ZnO nanorod array

An n-i-p type of organic-inorganic hybrid bifacial solar cells was constructed with a ZnO/polyaniline/NiO x heterostructure, in which vertically aligned ZnO nanorods (ZnONd) were synthesized by a facile electrochemical deposition process and act as an electron-transport layer. Semitransparent p-type semiconducting NiO x films were utilized as a hole-transport layer. Devices based on the ZnONd considerably outperform those employing ZnO thin films. The contact and electrical properties of NiO x can be carefully tuned through controlling the deposition parameters as well as surface treatments. Intimate contact between NiO x with PANI, created by in situ electrochemical polymerization, greatly improves the charge movement. Furthermore, an O2-plasma treatment of the NiO x film has a significant impact on the performance of polyaniline/ZnONd hybrid photovoltaic devices, reflected by the enhancement in the fill-factor and efficiency. The power conversion efficiency of the ZnONd/PANI/NiO x device under the optimized O2 plasma condition can reach up to 2.79% under AM1.5 illumination.

The King of the New Generation Photovoltaic Technologies——Perovskite Solar Cells & the Opportunities and Challenges

Within the past several decades, photovoltaic technology is an emerging pioneer in the renewable energy field. Driven by the rapid decline in the price of photovoltaic products, the cost of photovoltaic power generation is becoming cheaper or even lower than the cost of thermal power generation. Among various photovoltaic technologies, organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite thin film solar cells are promising candidates for the next generation of solar cells in consideration of their outstanding advantages such as low-cost, easy manufacturing processing and high power conversion efficiencies. Perovskite solar cells stem from dye-sensitized solar cells. Within less than a decade of rigorous research and development in perovskite solar cells, the efficiency is boosted up to 25.2%. Aforementioned high PCE is mainly attributed to outstanding photovoltaic properties such as the long diffusion length of carriers, high optical absorption coefficient, excellent carrier mobility, etc. Meanwhile, the main barriers of commercialization for the perovskite solar cells are the poor stability of the devices, and the possible environmental pollution caused by lead. Herein, we briefly reviewed the opportunities and the challenges of this game changer in photovoltaic field. The development prospective are also discussed.