Mesoporous SnO2 nanoparticle films as electron-transporting material in perovskite solar cells

Abstract

Perovskite solar cells with mesoporous metal oxide films as scaffold layers have demonstrated very impressive advances in performance recently. Here, we present an investigation into mesoporous perovskite solar cells incorporating mesoporous SnO₂ nanoparticle films as electron-transporting materials and scaffold layers, to replace traditional mesoporous TiO₂ films. We have optimized the SnO₂ film thickness and treated the surface of the SnO₂ film with an aqueous solution of TiCl₄. Due to the TiCl₄ treatment the recombination process was significantly retarded. The short-circuit current density (J_sc) and open-circuit voltage (V_oc) reached nearly 18 mA cm⁻² and 1 V, respectively. Consequently, the power conversion efficiency of the device with the SnO₂ film exceeded 10%.