Issue 8, 2021

Performance improvement of MXene-based perovskite solar cells upon property transition from metallic to semiconductive by oxidation of Ti3C2Tx in air

Abstract

The unique properties of MXenes that arise from terminating functional groups and oxidation of MXenes make them attractive for application in photovoltaic devices like perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Here, oxidation of Ti3C2Tx hydrocolloid was carried out to tune its properties desirable for an electron transport layer (ETL) in low-temperature processed PSCs. The calculations of the energy levels were carried out using the Vienna ab initio simulation package (VASP) code based on density functional theory (DFT). Oxidation of Ti3C2Tx can generate Ti–O bonds and effectively reduce the macroscopic defects of the film fabricated by spin-coating, while a transition from metallic material to semiconductor occurred after heavy oxidation. A better matching of energy levels between perovskite and ETL layer in the case of a hybrid of oxidized and pristine Ti3C2Tx renders a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 18.29%. The improvement in PCE can be attributed to the increased electron mobility in the ETL, which promotes electron transport and reduces the electron–hole recombination. Hence, by presenting a simple method for high performance in PSCs by MXene-derived materials, this work demonstrates the great potential of these materials for applications in low-temperature processed PSCs and other photovoltaic technologies.

Graphical abstract: Performance improvement of MXene-based perovskite solar cells upon property transition from metallic to semiconductive by oxidation of Ti3C2Tx in air

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
23 nov 2020
Accepted
27 jan 2021
First published
28 jan 2021

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2021,9, 5016-5025

Performance improvement of MXene-based perovskite solar cells upon property transition from metallic to semiconductive by oxidation of Ti3C2Tx in air

L. Yang, D. Kan, C. Dall'Agnese, Y. Dall'Agnese, B. Wang, A. K. Jena, Y. Wei, G. Chen, X. Wang, Y. Gogotsi and T. Miyasaka, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2021, 9, 5016 DOI: 10.1039/D0TA11397B

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