Articles
Publication Date: 2025
Nanomaterials (20794991)15(24)
Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) based on metal halides have garnered significant attention due to their exceptional power conversion efficiency (PCE) and compatibility with low-temperature fabrication processes. However, the development of stable and inexpensive carbon electrodes remains hindered by issues such as insufficient conductivity at the carbon electrode/perovskite interface and weak coupling strength. In this study, we employed a functionalized carbazole–cellulose composite (C–Cz) as an alternative binder to construct highly stable carbon electrodes for PSCs. The incorporation of C–Cz enhances electron interactions through its conjugated carbazole moieties, while the cellulose backbone facilitates uniform dispersion of carbon particles and forms continuous transport pathways. These synergistic effects significantly optimize interfacial energy alignment and defect passivation. Ultimately, p-i-n PSCs fabricated with C–Cz carbon paste electrodes achieved a champion PCE of 16.79%, substantially outperforming the control device using a conventional PMMA binder (10.56%). Notably, the exceptional hydrophobicity and defect passivation capabilities of the C–Cz electrode substantially enhance device durability—maintaining over 95% of initial efficiency after 400 h of continuous maximum power point tracking irradiation. This study reveals an effective adhesive engineering strategy for robust, scalable carbon electrodes, paving new pathways for practical applications in stable perovskite photovoltaics. © 2025 by the authors.
Publication Date: 2025
Journal of Materials Chemistry A (2050-7488)13(35)pp. 29172-29182
CsPbBr3, an inorganic halide perovskite compound, has attracted significant attention in the photoelectrochemical water splitting (PEC-WS) process due to its excellent properties; i.e. low cost, processing at ambient temperature and humidity, tunable bandgap, and long carrier transport length. Despite its intrinsically good optoelectronic properties, the practical optical absorption of thin CsPbBr3 films could be improved, particularly near the optical absorption edge, to obtain high photocurrent densities in PEC-WS applications. In this regard, we propose and validate the use of the inverse-opal nanostructure of a TiO2 (IOT) electron transport layer as a scaffold for CsPbBr3 in water splitting devices. We observed that using IOT improves PEC-WS performance mainly due to two effects: (i) improved light absorption near the optical absorption edge and (ii) enhanced charge transfer within the electrode associated mainly with the shortened path of electron transport within the perovskite layer. Moreover, the widespread application of CsPbBr3 is hindered by limited durability in aqueous environments. A carbon ink composed of conductive carbon black, graphite, and a waste carbon toner is applied onto the perovskite layer to improve its stability in the electrolyte and to enhance charge injection from the electrode into the electrolyte. A high photocurrent density of 7.28 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) was obtained and maintained for 10 000 s at pH = 7 for the photoanode with the configuration of glass/FTO/compact-TiO2/mesoporous-TiO2/inverse opal TiO2/CsPbBr3/C without using any co-catalyst. © 2025 The Royal Society of Chemistry.
In recent times, organic and perovskite solar cells (OSCs and PSCs) has garnered considerable attention due to the rapid advancement of their impressive photovoltaic performance, achieving power conversion efficiencies exceeding 19 % and 26 %, respectively. Various industrially scalable methods such as blade coating, spray coating, and slot-die coating have been employed to manufacture these promising solar cells, yet the efficiency of devices produced by these methods tends to be lower than those prepared in laboratory scales. To create pinhole-free and high-quality active layer in scalable devices, controlling the crystallization process is required. Therefore, the quality of the active layers plays a pivotal role in constructing efficient and stable solar cells. Among the scalable methods, the slot-die coating method is emerged as particularly attractive for large-scale and cost-effective production of both OSCs and PSCs. Thus, in the current work, we present the strategies to control the morphology of organic and perovskite films prepared by slot-die coating method, such as drying conditions, precursor engineering, solvent engineering, surface modification, and additive engineering, temperature controlling, sequential processing, and ternary blends. Also, the effect of slot-die-coated charge trasportlayers on the OSC and PSC efficiencies and stabilities has been investigatedtransport. Finally, the challenges and potential of commercialization of these promising solar cells, improving their efficiency, quality, and sustainability in the future, are discussed. © 2024 The Authors
