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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2025-05-01
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| author | Ahmed Hayali Maan M. Alkaisi |
| author_facet | Ahmed Hayali Maan M. Alkaisi |
| author_sort | Ahmed Hayali |
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| description | 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. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-90b49a29f49147b7b048ccede84a099a2025-08-20T03:46:49ZengMDPI AGNanomaterials2079-49912025-05-01151180710.3390/nano15110807Investigation of Annealing Temperature Effect of Tin Oxide on the Efficiency of Planar Structure Perovskite Solar CellsAhmed Hayali0Maan M. Alkaisi1Department of Computer Networks and the Internet, College of Information Technology, Ninevah University, Mosul 41001, IraqDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8041, New ZealandTin 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.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/15/11/807perovskite solar cellslow temperaturetin oxideelectron transport layerspin coating |
| spellingShingle | Ahmed Hayali Maan M. Alkaisi Investigation of Annealing Temperature Effect of Tin Oxide on the Efficiency of Planar Structure Perovskite Solar Cells Nanomaterials perovskite solar cells low temperature tin oxide electron transport layer spin coating |
| title | Investigation of Annealing Temperature Effect of Tin Oxide on the Efficiency of Planar Structure Perovskite Solar Cells |
| title_full | Investigation of Annealing Temperature Effect of Tin Oxide on the Efficiency of Planar Structure Perovskite Solar Cells |
| title_fullStr | Investigation of Annealing Temperature Effect of Tin Oxide on the Efficiency of Planar Structure Perovskite Solar Cells |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigation of Annealing Temperature Effect of Tin Oxide on the Efficiency of Planar Structure Perovskite Solar Cells |
| title_short | Investigation of Annealing Temperature Effect of Tin Oxide on the Efficiency of Planar Structure Perovskite Solar Cells |
| title_sort | investigation of annealing temperature effect of tin oxide on the efficiency of planar structure perovskite solar cells |
| topic | perovskite solar cells low temperature tin oxide electron transport layer spin coating |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/15/11/807 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ahmedhayali investigationofannealingtemperatureeffectoftinoxideontheefficiencyofplanarstructureperovskitesolarcells AT maanmalkaisi investigationofannealingtemperatureeffectoftinoxideontheefficiencyofplanarstructureperovskitesolarcells |