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Vol. 13 (2021)

Spray Pyrolyzed TiO2 Embedded Multi-Layer Front Contact Design for High-Efficiency Perovskite Solar Cells

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-020-00559-2
Md. Shahiduzzaman
Nanomaterials Research Institute (NanoMaRi), Kanazawa University, Kakuma, Kanazawa 920‑1192, Japan
Mohammad Ismail Hossain
Department of Applied Physics and Materials Research Center, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, P. R. China
Sem Visal
Graduate School of Engineering, Tokai University, Kitakaname, Hiratsuka 259‑1292, Japan
Tetsuya Kaneko
Graduate School of Engineering, Tokai University, Kitakaname, Hiratsuka 259‑1292, Japan
Wayesh Qarony
Department of Applied Physics and Materials Research Center, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, P. R. China
Shinjiro Umezu
Department of Modern Mechanical Engineering, Waseda University, 3‑4‑1 Okubo, Shinjuku, Tokyo 169‑8555, Japan
Koji Tomita
Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tokai University, Kitakaname, Hiratsuka 259‑1292, Japan
Satoru Iwamori
Research Institute of Science and Technology, Tokai University, Kitakaname, Hiratsuka 259‑1292, Japan
Dietmar Knipp
Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, USA
Yuen Hong Tsang
Department of Applied Physics and Materials Research Center, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, P. R. China
Md. Akhtaruzzaman
Solar Energy Research Institute, The National University of Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
Jean‑Michel Nunzi
Nanomaterials Research Institute (NanoMaRi), Kanazawa University, Kakuma, Kanazawa 920‑1192, Japan
Tetsuya Taima
Nanomaterials Research Institute (NanoMaRi), Kanazawa University, Kakuma, Kanazawa 920‑1192, Japan
Masao Isomura
Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tokai University, Kitakaname, Hiratsuka 259‑1292, Japan

Corresponding Author: Masao Isomura

isomura@tokai.ac.jp

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 13 (2021), Article Number: 36

Abstract

The photovoltaic performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) can be improved by utilizing efficient front contact. However, it has always been a significant challenge for fabricating high-quality, scalable, controllable, and cost-effective front contact. This study proposes a realistic multi-layer front contact design to realize efficient single-junction PSCs and perovskite/perovskite tandem solar cells (TSCs). As a critical part of the front contact, we prepared a highly compact titanium oxide (TiO2) film by industrially viable Spray Pyrolysis Deposition (SPD), which acts as a potential electron transport layer (ETL) for the fabrication of PSCs. Optimization and reproducibility of the TiO2 ETL were discreetly investigated while fabricating a set of planar PSCs. As the front contact has a significant influence on the optoelectronic properties of PSCs, hence, we investigated the optics and electrical effects of PSCs by three-dimensional (3D) finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) and finite element method (FEM) rigorous simulations. The investigation allows us to compare experimental results with the outcome from simulations. Furthermore, an optimized single-junction PSC is designed to enhance the energy conversion efficiency (ECE) by > 30% compared to the planar reference PSC. Finally, the study has been progressed to the realization of all-perovskite TSC that can reach the ECE, exceeding 30%. Detailed guidance for the completion of high-performance PSCs is provided.


Highlights:


1 Industrially viable bottom-up spray pyrolysis deposition technique was used to prepare the highly compact TiO2 film, which is a vital element for the multi-layer front contact.
2 The optimization of the front contact is presented by fabricating reproducible and efficient perovskite solar cells
3 Multi-layer front contact is applied to realize efficient perovskite single-junction and perovskite/perovskite tandem solar cells, where optics and electrical effects of solar cells are studied by optically coupled 3D electromagnetic simulations.

Keywords

Perovskite Tandem solar cells Spray pyrolysis deposition TiO2 compact layer Optics and optimization Electrical characteristic
Shahiduzzaman, Md., Mohammad Ismail Hossain, Sem Visal, Tetsuya Kaneko, Wayesh Qarony, Shinjiro Umezu, Koji Tomita, Satoru Iwamori, Dietmar Knipp, Yuen Hong Tsang, Md. Akhtaruzzaman, Jean‑Michel Nunzi, Tetsuya Taima, and Masao Isomura. 2021. “Spray Pyrolyzed TiO2 Embedded Multi-Layer Front Contact Design for High-Efficiency Perovskite Solar Cells”. Nano-Micro Letters 13 (January):36. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-020-00559-2.
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