Improving the performance and reliability of inverted planar perovskite solar cells with a carbon nanotubes/PEDOT:PSS hybrid hole collector

Abstract

Adopting an efficient charge transport layer is crucial to improve the photovoltaic (PV) performances of organo-lead halide perovskite (PRV) solar cells. In this study, we suggest a novel hybrid hole-transport layer (HTL) consisting of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) for inverted-planar PRV devices. The SWNTs were drop-cast on ITO/glass substrates, and they were partly grown perpendicular to the substrates. Then, we coated PEDOT:PSS to cover the SWNTs for complete electron-blocking. A PRV light-harvester was spin-cast on the hybrid HTL, and the vertical SWNTs protruded into the PRV through penetrating the PEDOT:PSS. Steady-state photoluminescence spectroscopy evidenced that the SWNTs/PEDOT:PSS hybrid HTL showed enhanced charge-carrier quenching properties. The hybrid HTL also revealed negligible parasitic absorption loss checked by UV-Vis spectroscopy. These contributed to improve the average power conversion efficiency from 9.4% to 11.0% (up to 12.5% for the best cell) based on fabricated 90 devices. Furthermore, significant suppression of current–voltage hysteresis was attained by employing the hybrid HTL. This study not only manifests unprecedented utilization of the SWNTs for the HTL in inverted planar PRV cells but also paves the way for the development of high-performance and reliable PRV solar cells compatible with flexible processing at low temperature (<150 °C).