Improvement of Perovskite Solar Cells Photovoltaic Performance by

Localized Surface Plasmon Effect of Silver-alumina Core-shell

Nanoparticles

Marziyeh Yaghubinia

, Majid Ebnali

, Mahmoud Zendehdel

and Mohammadreza Yaghoubinia

Department of Electronic Engineering, Islamic Azad University of Najaf Abad, Isfahan, Iran

Department of Electronic Engineering, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran

Research and Development Section, Kimia Solar Company, Isfahan, Iran

Department of Electronic Engineering, Islamic Azad University of Khorasgan, Isfahan, Iran

Keywords: Perovskite, Solar Cell, Plasmon Effect, Core-shell.

Abstract: Perovskite solar cells are new generation of nanostructure-based solar devices that could reach to highest

efficiency records between third generation solar cells. In present project, for the first time, enhancement of

the photovoltaic performance of planner perovskite solar cells is achieved by using localized surface

Plasmon (LSP) effect of silver-alumina core-shell nanoparticles as a dopant in the perovskite layer.

Photovoltaic performances of the devices are evaluated by FE-SEM, IV measurement, cyclic voltammetry,

UV-Vis spectroscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results show significant increase of

the overall efficiency and short-circuit current density of the devices by using LSP effect of Ag-Al2O3

nanoparticles.

1 INTRODUCTION

Solid-state thin film solar cells represent a promising

technology to harvest and convert solar energy to

electricity efficiently and cost-effectively (Sargent,

2012). There exists a plethora of technologies,

ranging from thin film absorber layers of binary and

tertiary semiconductor compounds (Katagiri et al.,

2009), to demixed polymer blends, where nano to

mesostructure is essential to efficiently ionize

excitons (the primary excited state following light

absorption) and extract charge. Very recently,

organometal halide perovskites have been employed

as the absorber layer in hybrid solar cells, exhibiting

exceptionally low loss photovoltaic operation, as

well as a simple solution based synthetic route from

abundant sources (C, N, Pb and halogen). Miyasaka

and coworkers first reported a 3.8% efficient

CH3NH3PbI3 “perovskite sensitized” solar cell

(PSC), employing a liquid electrolyte in a

conventional dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC)

architecture (Kojima et al., 2009). By replacing the

liquid electrolyte with a solid organic hole conductor

spiro-OMeTAD (2,2’,7,7’-tetrakis (N,N-di-p-

methoxyphenylamine)-9,9′-spirobifluorene), Park

and coworkers and ourselves achieved between 8 to

9.7% efficiency based on perovskite sensitized

mesoporous TiO2 devices (Kim et al., 2012), and

Etgar and coworkers demonstrated operating

mesoporous TiO2-perovskite solar cells without any

additional hole-transporter (redox couple) (Etgar et

al., 2012).

Since the inorganic-organic hybrid perovskite

solar cell was first reported in 2009 (Kojima et al.,

2009), its power conversion efficiency (PCE) was

rapidly improved to as high as 19.3% by now, and

could ultimately boost efficiencies to 25% as high as

that of single-crystal silicon cell (Service, 2014). To

further improve the efficiency, it is necessary to

extend light absorption spectrum to harvest more

energy in thin film solar cells, without increasing the

thickness and the complexity of the devices (Ogomi

et al., 2014). Although the absorption coefficient of

hybrid perovskite at 550 nm is around 1.5×104 cm-

1, as strong as organic materials, the absorption is

drop-down around band edge (Kazim et al., 2014).

Therefore, it should be promising to greatly enhance

the light absorption of hybrid perovskite around the

band edge.

272

Yaghubinia, M., Ebnali, M., Zendehdel, M. and Yaghoubinia, M.

Improvement of Perovskite Solar Cells Photovoltaic Performance by Localized Surface Plasmon Effect of Silver-alumina Core-shell Nanoparticles.

DOI: 10.5220/0005792802700272

In Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Photonics, Optics and Laser Technology (PHOTOPTICS 2016), pages 272-274

ISBN: 978-989-758-174-8

To boost the solar cells’ light absorption, one of

the promising methods is to apply noble metal

nanoparticles, on which localized surface plasmon

(LSP) resonance can be excited under the light

illumination. The confined electromagnetic energy

based on LSP resonance could greatly improve the

light absorption of active medium surrounding the

nanoparticles (NPs) (Chen et al., 2013). The light

absorption enhancement and efficiency

improvement of different kinds of solar cells,

including thin film Si solar cells, dye-sensitized

solar cells (DSCs) (Qi et al., 2011), and organic

photovoltaics (OPVs) (Lu et al., 2013), had been

reported recently.

In present project, for the first time, localized

surface Plasmon effect of core-shell structure of

silver-alumina nanoparticles on photovoltaic

parameters of perovskite solar cells with planner

architecture based on Pb(CH

sensitizers, is

investigated. Performance of the devices are

evaluated by I-V measurement, cyclic voltammetry,

UV-Vis spectroscopy and electrochemical

impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and compared to

perovskite solar devices without LSP effect.

2 MATERIALS AND METHODS

The patterned substrates FTO were cleaned in an

ultrasonic bath, using detergent with de-ionized

water, acetone and isopropanol (10 minutes for each

step). Patterning of the TiO2 layer about 50nm was

achieved by using the dip coating method (multi-

purpose dip coating machine of Kimia Solar Co,

model: mpDCTT-1200). DektakVeeco 150

profilometer was used for measurement the

thickness of the blocking layer.

The lead iodide solution (PbI2 in N,N-

dimethylformamide, 460 mg ml-1) was made. Then

10 ppm silver-Alumina nanoparticles added in the

solution of PbI2, finally spin coated with 6000 r.p.m

for 10 sec then dried at 70 °C for 1 hr.

CH3NH3PbI3 crystallization was achieved by

dipping the PbI2 layer in a methylammonium iodide

solution (CH3NH3I in anhydrous 2-propanol 10 mg

ml-1) for 2 minutes then immediately washed with

2-propanol by spin coating method at 6000 r.p.m for

10 sec and dried at 70 °C for 30 min.

The hole-transporting layers was deposited by

spin-coating a 75 mg ml-1 solution of 2,20,7,70-

tetrakis-(N,N-dip-methoxyphenylamine)9,9’-

spirobifluorene (Spiro-OMeTAD), doped with 8 μl

of tert-butylpyridine and 11 μl of Lithium

Bis(Trifluoromethanesulfonyl)Imide (Li-TFSI)

solution (520mg in 1 ml of acetonitrile), was spin

coated by 2000 rpm for 45 second and thickness was

around 250nm (the thickness of all samples checked

by DektakVeeco 150 profilometer).

Samples were introduced into a high vacuum

chamber (10-6 mbar) to thermally evaporate Au

back contacts (thickness 80 nm).

Masked devices were tested under a solar

simulator (Kimia Solar sun simulator model: SSTT-

1100) at AM1.5G and 100 mW cm-2 illumination

conditions calibrated with a certified reference Si

Cell (RERASolutions RR-1002). Incident power

was measured with a Skye SKS 1110 sensor. The

absorbance was measured with a BLACK-Comet

UV-VIS Spectrometer. The morphology and grain

size of the PbI2, perovskite and HTM layers

obtained with Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-

SEM). Electrochemical analysis was measured with

Autolab Instrument.

3 RESULTS

The Scanning electron microscopic images and UV-

Vis measurement of the perovskite layers shows in

the figures 1 and 2, respectively. The SEM shows

that the perovskite layer is quite homogenous and

the size of the crystal was around 100 nm. From the

UV-VIS measurement it observed with adding the

Silver-alumina nanoparticle as a dopant in the

perovskite the absorbance increased which is relate

to the LSP effect as we expect from the theoretical

investigation.

Figure 1: FE-SEM image of perovskite layer containing

Ag-Al

nanoparticles.

Improvement of Perovskite Solar Cells Photovoltaic Performance by Localized Surface Plasmon Effect of Silver-alumina Core-shell

Nanoparticles

273

Figure 2: UV-Vis absorbance spectra of perovskite layers.

The results of I-V measurement analysis spectra

and the photovoltaic parameters of the devices under

AM1.5G illumination are present in figure 3 and

table 1, respectively. By insertion of Ag-Al

nanoparticles in the perovskite layer, short circuit

current density (J

) of the device is significantly

enhanced which led to increase of the overall

efficiency from 10% to 13.9%. Furthermore, the

other photovoltaic parameters have not been varied

by insertion of Ag-Al

nanoparticles. These

results proof our proposal for enhancement of the

perovskite absorbance by positive LSP effect of

core-shell nanoparticles.

Table 1: Photovoltaic parameters of perovskite solar cells

with and without LSP effect.

Sample V

(v)

(mA/cm

)

FF PCE (%)

PE-cell 0.934 24.5 0.61 13.9

N-cell 0.969 17.5 0.59 10.0

Figure 3: I-V measurement plots of the perovskite solar

cell devices with LSP effect (PE-cell) and normal device

without LSP effect (N-cell).

4 CONCLUSIONS

In this project, for the first time, effect of localized

surface Plasmon on the perovskite solar device with

planner structure is successfully investigated.

Photovoltaic performance of the devices shows

enhancement of Jsc and overall efficiency by using

LSP effect of silver-alumian core-shell structure

nanoparticles inside the perovskite layer as dopant.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This study was financially supported by Kimia Solar

Co, Isfahan, Iran and Islamic Azad University of

Najaf Abad, Isfahan, Iran.

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