Proceedings of Technological Advances in Science, Medicine and Engineering Conference 2021

The effect of incorporating carbon nanotubes in device structures of perovskite solar cells
Uthayaraj Siva, Shivatharsiny Yohi, Thanihaichelvan Murugathas, Muthukumarasamy Natarajan, Dhayalan Velauthapillai, Ravirajan Punniamoorthy
Abstract

Perovskite photovoltaic is the most emerging area of research among the various photovoltaic technologies due to its low-cost fabrication techniques together with high efficiencies. However, poor carrier mobilities of electron transporting materials (ETMs) and hole transporting materials (HTMs) limit the performance of PSCs. In order to enhance the performance of PSCs, this study focused on incorporating single wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in both ETM and HTM layers. Initially, the photovoltaic (PV) performance of devices with different organic / inorganic HTMs, such as Cuprous Iodide (CuI), Poly(ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulphonate (PEDOT:PSS), 2,2′,7,7′ - tetrakis (N,N′-di-p-methoxyphenylamine) - 9,9′ - spirobifluorene (Spiro-OMeTAD) and Poly -3-hexylthiophene (P3HT) was studied and a suitable HTM was selected for the fabrication of TiO2/CH3NH3PbIxCl3-x/HTMs/Au PSCs in air. Over 8.0 % efficiency was achieved for the device with powder pressed CuI as HTM while efficiency of about 5.5 % for devices with Spiro-OMeTAD and P3HT tested under 100 mW/cm2 illumination with Air Mass 1.5 filter. Although the powder pressed method used herein PSCs is a novel, simple, eco-friendly, and cost-effective method, controlling thickness, its poor reproducibility in the practical applications is still challenging. Reproducibility of devices with Spiro-OMeTAD had also been poor, compared to the device with P3HT. Thus, P3HT was selected as the HTM and subsequently, the effect of CNTs in this device was studied. CNTs were incorporated in both TiO2 and P3HT layers of the TiO2/CH3NH3PbIxCl3-x/P3HT/Au device by dip coating the TiO2 electrode with CNT solution prior to deposition of CH3NH3PbIxCl3-x and by blending with P3HT, respectively. Raman spectra and Atomic Force Microscopic images confirmed the presence of CNT in TiO2 electrode and P3HT, respectively. The optimized CNT incorporated device exhibited overall efficiency over 14 % under 100 mW/cm2 illumination with Air Mass 1.5 filter, which is 50 % higher than the control device. The enhanced efficiency is predominantly due to increase in short circuit current density and fill factor, resulting from surface passivation at the interface by CNT incorporation.


Last modified: 2021-06-27
Building: TASME Center
Room: Engineering Hall
Date: July 4, 2021 - 02:05 PM – 02:20 PM

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