Synthesis and Characterization of flexible Al-doped SnO2-based paper Electrode for Perovskite Solar Cell Application

Abstract

Primarily, Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) were disclosed merely in 2012 but their tremendously fast development has reached an efficiency of confirmed 25% presently. PSCs are more low-cost and easier to develop than Silicon-based solar cells. They can respond to many wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum which helps them transform more light into electricity. The performance and stability of PSCs are mainly reliant on the Electron transport layer (ETL) material. Lignocellulose (LC) is an abundant, environmentally friendly, and biodegradable fiber. In this research work, LC fiber is used as a substrate instead of a glass substrate due to its flexibility and better sustainability. For Electron transport layer materials in PSCs, several semiconductors can be utilized. In this research article, SnO2 is used as an Electron transport layer material because of its low-temperature fabrication and wider band gap. Overall, SnO2 exhibits great optical transparency, chemical stability, conductivity, and electron mobility which display its good photovoltaic properties. Aluminium was added into SnO2 as a dopant for thin film enhancement and improved Power conversion efficiency (PCE). Al-doped SnO2 proposes a fine surface coverage of thin films and enhances the conductivity of ETLs which results in the better performance of the PSCs. Different Characterization techniques such as X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy (UV-Vis) were used to characterize the synthesized material. The results display that the conductivity of Al-SnO2 increased as the band gap reduced due to Al-doping and the inclusion of LC fiber. Therefore Al-doped SnO2 constituting ETL prepared at the low temperature displays an enhanced charge transport than that of undoped-SnO2. Hence, Al-doped SnO2 is a favorable contender for ETLs used in PSCs which gives high Power conversion efficiency and stabilization