Application of core-shell metallic nanoparticles in hybridized perovskite solar cell-various channels of plasmon photovoltaic effect

Abstract

We analyze the microscopic mechanism of the improvement of solar cell efficiency by plasmons in metallic components embedded in active optical medium of a cell. We focus on the explanation of the observed new channel of plasmon photovoltaic effect related to the influence of plasmons onto the internal cell electricity beyond the previously known plasmon mediated absorption of photons. The model situation we analyze is the hybrid chemical perovskite solar cell CH3NH3PbI3??aCla with inclusion of core-shell Au/Si02 nanoparticles filling pores in the Al2O3 or TiO2 porous bases at the bottom of perovskite layer, application of which improved the cell efficiency from 10.7 to 11.4% and from 8.4 to 9.5%, respectively, as demonstrated experimentally, mostly due to the reduction by plasmons of the exciton binding energy.