Proceedings of nanoGe Fall Meeting19 (NFM19)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29363/nanoge.nfm.2019.009
Publication date: 18th July 2019
The mesoporous carbon stack architecture is attracting considerable interest as a potential candidate for scalable, environmentally stable and low-cost perovskite solar cells amenable to high throughput manufacturing processes. These cells are characterised by microns-thick mesoporous titania and zirconia layers capped by a non-selective carbon top electrode with the whole stack being infused with a perovskite semiconductor. Although the architecture does not yet deliver the >20% power conversion efficiencies characteristic of some perovskite planar and mesoporous structures, it does appear to produce cells with respectable efficiencies >16% which is unexpected due to the carbon electrode being far from an ideal anode and the active layers being so thick. Full optimization of these cells requires a detailed understanding of the coupled efficiencies of light absorption, charge generation and extraction but the mode of operation is not yet understood. In this communication, we report a combined experimental-simulation study which elucidates the photogeneration and extraction of charge. By determination of the optical constants of the individual components of cell and using effective medium approximation, we determine the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) in both the titania and zirconia layers to be equally ~85%. Our numerical drift-diffusion simulations indicate that this high IQE together with a respectable open circuit voltage is a consequence of the thick junctions in play – reducing minority carrier concentrations at the electrodes and thereby decreasing surface recombination which is otherwise present in thinner cells with a non-selective contact. This insight can now be used to further tune the carbon stack for efficiency and simplicity.
Acknowledgements
This work was funded by the Welsh Government’s Sêr Cymru II Program (Sustainable Advanced Materials) through the European Regional Development Fund and Welsh European Funding Office. R.K. is the recipient of an EPSRC DTP postgraduate award. P.M. is a Sêr Cymru II Research Chair and A.A. a Sêr Cymru II Rising Star Fellow. S.M. etc. SPECFIC. We acknowledge the assistance of J. Van Derslice at J.A. Woollam for assistance with the porosimetry measurements. This work was also supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) through the Self assembling Perovskite Absorbers – Cells Engineered into Modules project (EP/M015254/1) and the SPECIFIC Innovation and Knowledge Centre(EP/N020863/1). This work was also partially funded by the Institutional Links grant, ID 332397170, under the Newton Fund partnership. The grant is funded by the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and SENER-CONACyT and delivered by the British Council.
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