Titanium oxide nanoparticle-based perovskite PV cell with 24.05% effectiveness

• A brand-new perovskite PV cell based on titanium dioxide nanoparticles exhibits low effectiveness losses when scaled up from cell to module.

A worldwide research study group led by École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) has developed a perovskite solar cell with an electron transport layer (ETL) based upon single-crystalline titanium dioxide (TiO2) rhombohedral nanoparticles.

"The solar cell was developed for usage in building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), including roofing tiles, facades, walls, and also thin-film battery integrated perovskite solar cells for the Internet of Things and sensor applications," informed researcher Mohammad Khaja Nazeeruddin.

The TiO2 nanoparticles were manufactured in a one-step solvothermal method based on the Mannich reaction, which is an organic reaction typically used to transform a key or secondary amine and also 2 carbonyl compounds.

"The positive energy degree, high electron mobility and reduced catch thickness of the nanoparticles contribute to quick interfacial charge transfer at the m-TiO2/ perovskite user interface integrated with a rapid inter-grain charge transport in between nearby TiO2 nanoparticles," the scientists stated.

The solar cell was produced with an n-i-p structure as well as architecture containing a glass-coated substrate made from fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO), a compact anatase TiO2 layer, a high conductivity TiO2 nanoparticles layer, a film made of perovskite with a make-up of Rb0.03 Cs0.05 MA0.05 FA0.90 PbI3, a spiro-OMeTAD hole-blocking layer, and also a gold (Au) metal contact.

The champion solar cell established with this structure attained a power conversion performance of 24.05%, an open-circuit voltage of 1.12 V, a short-circuit current of 25.35 mA cm-- 2, and a fill aspect of 84.7%. The research study team associated higher-than-usual open-circuit voltage as well as fill element to minimized charge recombination as well as reduced collection resistance, specifically.

"Exceptional reproducibility is shown by the narrow circulation in the photovoltaic or pv efficiencies," the scientists stated.

The cell was utilized to construct a small perovskite solar with an active area of 24.63 square centimeters via spin-coating and also vacuum quenching. The little panel exhibited a power conversion efficiency of 22.87% and also a fill variable of 82.0%.

"Benefiting from its less intrinsic flaws, the nanoparticles-based small-size device revealed long-lasting operational stability, keeping 90% of its preliminary efficiency after continual operation for 1,400 h," the scientists claimed.

For the very first time, the group took care of to dramatically lower the gap in between a tiny area efficiency as well as a large area efficiency. This represented the most affordable loss in efficiency reported to day when scaling up from cell to module.

The scientists defined the solar cell in "Single-crystalline TiO2 nanoparticles for secure and efficient perovskite modules," which was just recently published in Nature Nanotechnology. The study group consists of scientists from EPFL, the University of Würzburg, the University of Luxembourg, the Luxembourg Institute of Scientific Research as well as Technology, North China Electric Power University, as well as Xi'an Jiaotong University.