MXene-based novel nanocomposites doped SnO2 for boosting the performance of perovskite solar cells

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 14638 - 11
• Main Authors: Alhamada, T. F., Hanim, M. A. Azmah, Jung, D. W., Saidur, R., Nuraini, A. A., Hasan, W. Z. Wan, Tan, K. H., Noh, M. Mohamad, Teridi, M. A. M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group 25.06.2024; Nature Publishing Group UK; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: Electron transfer; Electron transport; Fabrication; Hydrothermal method; MXene; Nanocomposites; Optical properties; Perovskite solar cells; Short-circuit current; Solar cells
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64632-1

Abstract Since being first published in 2018, the use of two-dimensional MXene in solar cells has attracted significant interest. This study presents, for the first time, the synthesis of an efficient hybrid electrocatalyst in the form of a nanocomposite (MXene/CoS)-SnO 2 designed to function as a high-performance electron transfer layer (ETL). The study can be divided into three distinct parts. The first part involves the synthesis of single-layer Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene nanosheets, followed by the preparation of a CoS solution. Subsequently, in the second part, the fabrication of MXene/CoS heterostructure nanocomposites is carried out, and a comprehensive characterization is conducted to evaluate the physical, structural, and optical properties. In the third part, the attention is on the crucial characterizations of the novel nanocomposite-electron transport layer (ETL) solution, significantly contributing to the evolution of perovskite solar cells. Upon optimising the composition, an exceptional power conversion efficiency of more than 17.69% is attained from 13.81% of the control devices with fill factor (FF), short-circuit current density (J sc ), and open-circuit voltage (V oc ) were 66.51%, 20.74 mA/cm 2 , and 1.282 V. Therefore, this PCE is 21.93% higher than the control device. The groundbreaking MXene/CoS (2 mg mL −1 ) strategy reported in this research represents a promising and innovative avenue for the realization of highly efficient perovskite solar cells.