Boosting Performance of Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells by Diluting Hole Transport Layer

Abstract

In our study, by developing the diluted PEDOT:PSS (D-PEDOT:PSS) to replace PEDOT:PSS stock solution as hole transport layer (HTL) materials for fabricating the inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs), the performance of developed device with ITO/D-PEDOT:PSS/MAPbI3−xClx/C60/BCP/Ag structure is enhanced distinctly. Experimental results reveal that when the dilution ratio is 10:1, the optimal power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the D-PEDOT:PSS device can reach up to 17.85% with an increase of 11.28% compared to the undiluted PEDOT:PSS device. A series of investigations have confirmed that the efficiency improvement is mainly attributed to the two aspects: on one hand, the transmittance and conductivity of D-PEDOT:PSS HTL are improved, and the density of defect states at the interface is reduced after dilution, promoting the separation and transmission of charges, thus the short-circuit current (JSC) is significantly increased; on the other hand, the work function of D-PEDOT:PSS becomes more consistent with perovskite layer, and the voltage loss is reduced, so that the higher open circuit voltage (VOC) is obtained. Our research has indicated that diluting HTL develops a simpler, more efficient and cost-effective method to further improve performance for inverted PSCs.