Investigation of Annealing Temperature Effect of Tin Oxide on the Efficiency of Planar Structure Perovskite Solar Cells
Tin oxide (SnO<sub>2</sub>) is an attractive candidate for the electron transport layer (ETL) in perovskite-based solar cells because of its low temperature process requirement. The ability to form ETL layers at low temperatures opens up opportunities for the use of flexible and low-cost...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Nanomaterials |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/15/11/807 |
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| Summary: | Tin oxide (SnO<sub>2</sub>) is an attractive candidate for the electron transport layer (ETL) in perovskite-based solar cells because of its low temperature process requirement. The ability to form ETL layers at low temperatures opens up opportunities for the use of flexible and low-cost materials suitable for photovoltaic applications. The ETL is necessary for the extraction of electrons and charge separation from the perovskite active layer. Herein, we present a study of the effect of annealing temperature on SnO<sub>2</sub> used as an ETL. The annealing temperature of the SnO<sub>2</sub> has a considerable effect on the morphology, crystallinity, grain size, and surface topography of the SnO<sub>2</sub> layer. The surface properties of the ETL influence the structural properties of the perovskite films. In this study, the annealing temperature of the SnO<sub>2</sub>, deposited using spin coating, was changed from 90 °C to 150 °C. The SnO<sub>2</sub> films annealed at 120<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mo> </mo><mo>°</mo></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>C resulted in reduced surface defects, improved electron extraction, and produced a significant increase in the grain size of the perovskite active layers. The increase in grain size led to improved efficiency of the PSCs. Devices annealed at 120 °C yielded PSCs with an average efficiency of 15% for a 0.36 cm<sup>2</sup> active area, while devices treated at 90 °C and 150 °C produced an average efficiency of 12%. The PSCs fabricated at low temperatures provide an effective technique for low-cost manufacturing, especially on flexible and polymer-based substrates. |
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| ISSN: | 2079-4991 |