Amorphous Tin Oxide as a Low-Temperature-Processed Electron-Transport Layer for Organic and Hybrid Perovskite Solar Cells.
Chemical bath deposition (CBD) of tin oxide (SnO2) thin films as an electron-transport layer (ETL) in a planar-heterojunction n-i-p organohalide lead perovskite and organic bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells is reported. The amorphous SnO2(a-SnO2) films are grown from a nontoxic aqueous bath of tin chloride at a very low temperature (55 °C) and do not require postannealing treatment to work very effectively as an ETL in a planar-heterojunction n-i-p organohalide lead perovskite or organic BHJ solar cells, in lieu of the commonly used ETL materials titanium oxide (TiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO), respectively. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy measurements on the glass/indium-tin oxide (ITO)/SnO2/methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3)/2,2',7,7'-tetrakis(N,N-di-p-methoxyphenylamine)-9,9'-spirobifluorene device stack indicate that extraction of photogenerated electrons is facilitated by a perfect alignment of the conduction bands at the SnO2/MAPbI3interface, while the deep valence band of SnO2ensures strong hole-blocking properties. Despite exhibiting very low electron mobility, the excellent interfacial energetics combined with high transparency (Egap,optical> 4 eV) and uniform substrate coverage make the a-SnO2ETL prepared by CBD an excellent candidate for the potentially low-cost and large-scale fabrication of organohalide lead perovskite and organic photovoltaics.
KAUST Solar Center, Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
Jérémy
J
Barbé
KAUST Solar Center, Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
Max L
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9018-3829
ML
Tietze
KAUST Solar Center, Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
Marios
M
Neophytou
KAUST Solar Center, Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
Banavoth
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7806-2274
B
Murali
KAUST Solar Center, Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
Erkki
E
Alarousu
KAUST Solar Center, Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
Abdulrahman El
AE
Labban
KAUST Solar Center, Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
Mutalifu
M
Abulikemu
KAUST Solar Center, Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
Wan
W
Yue
KAUST Solar Center, Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
Omar F
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8500-1130
OF
Mohammed
KAUST Solar Center, Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
Iain
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6340-7217
I
McCulloch
KAUST Solar Center, Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
Aram
A
Amassian
KAUST Solar Center, Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
Silvano
S
Del Gobbo
chemical bath deposition; organic solar cells; perovskite solar cells; tin oxide electron-transport layer; ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy