Influence of a Compact Fe2O3 Layer on the Photovoltaic Performance of Perovskite-Based Solar Cells

Abstract

[EN] In this study, uniform and dense iron oxide ¿-Fe2O3 thin films were used as an electron-transport layer (ETL) in CH3NH3PbI3-based perovskite solar cells (PSCs), replacing the Titanium dioxide (TiO2) ETL conventionally used in planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells. The ¿-Fe2O3 films were synthesized using an electrodeposition method for the blocking layer and a hydrothermal method for the overlaying layer, while 2,2¿,7,7¿-tetrakis (N, N¿-di-p-methoxyphenylamine)-9,9¿ spirobifluorene (spiro-OMeTAD) was employed as a hole conductor in the solar cells. Based on the above synthesized ¿-Fe2O3 films the photovoltaic performance of the PSCs was studied. The ¿-Fe2O3 layers were found to have a significant impact on the photovoltaic conversion efficiency (PCE) of the PSCs. This was attributed to an efficient charge separation and transport due to a better coverage of the perovskite on the ¿-Fe2O3 films. As a result, the PCE measured under standard solar conditions (AM 1.5G, 100 mW cm¿2) reached 5.7%.