Control of Surface Defects in ZnO Nanorod Arrays with Thermally Deposited Au Nanoparticles for Perovskite Photovoltaics

Tulus Tulus, Selina Olthof, Magdalena Marszalek, Andreas Peukert, Loreta A. Muscarella, Bruno Ehrler, Olivera Vukovic, Yulia Galagan, Simon Christian Boehme, Elizabeth Von Hauff*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

In this work, we employ vacuum deposited Au nanoparticles (-4 nm) to control the defect density on the surface of hydrothermally synthesized ZnO nanorod arrays (ZnO-NR), which are of interest for electron-transport layers in perovskite solar cells. Using a combination of photoluminescence spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, we show that the Au particles reduce the presence of defects in the ZnO-NR. We discuss this in terms of trap filling due to band bending at the ZnO-NR surface. As a proof-of-concept, we apply the Au-decorated ZnO-NR as electron-transport layers in mixed-cation and mixed-halide lead perovskite solar cells (Cs0.15FA0.85PbI2.75Br0.25). Devices prepared with the Au-decorated ZnO-NR electron-transport layers demonstrate higher open-circuit voltages and fill factors compared to solar cells prepared with pristine ZnO-NR, resulting in an increase in the power-conversion efficiency from 11.7 to 13.7%. However, the operational stability of the solar cells is not improved by the Au nanoparticles, indicating that bulk properties of the perovskite may limit device lifetime.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3736-3748
Number of pages13
JournalACS Applied Energy Materials
Volume2
Issue number5
Early online date26 Apr 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 28 May 2019

Funding

†Physics of Energy, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Faculty of Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands ‡Laboratory of Technology for Polymer, Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), Jakarta 10340, Indonesia §Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Cologne, Cologne 50937, Germany ∥Center for Nanophotonics, AMOLF, Science Park 104, 1098 XG Amsterdam, The Netherlands ⊥TNO - Solliance, 5656 AE Eindhoven, The Netherlands The authors thank Martin Slaman, Jan Rector, Saskia Kars, Alina Chanaewa, and Leo Polak for assistance and supporting the experiments. The authors thank Rinke J. Wijngaarden and Ivan Infante for discussion. T. acknowledges the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education, the Republic of Indonesia for the scholarship Program for Research and Innovation in Science and Technology (RISET-Pro) World Bank Loan No. 8245-ID. T., E.v.H., and Y.G. acknowledge the COST Action Stable Next Generation Photovoltaics (Grant No. MP1307) for support. S.C.B. acknowledges The Netherlands Organization of Scientific Research (NWO) for financial support through the Innovational Research Incentive (Veni) Scheme (Grant No. 722.017.011). B.E. acknowledges The Netherlands Organization of Scientific Research (NWO) for financial support through the Innovational Research Incentive (Vidi).

FundersFunder number
Netherlands Organization of Scientific Research
Program for Research and Innovation in Science and Technology8245-ID
The Netherlands Organization of Scientific Research
European Cooperation in Science and Technology
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek722.017.011
Kementerian Riset Teknologi Dan Pendidikan Tinggi Republik Indonesia

    Keywords

    • defects
    • interface
    • mixed cation
    • mixed halide
    • perovskite photovoltaics
    • photoelectron spectroscopy
    • transport layer
    • ZnO nanostructures

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