Efficient TiO2 Surface Treatment Using Cs2CO3 for Solution-Processed Planar-Type Sb2S3 Solar Cells

• Published in: Nanoscale research letters Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 1 - 9
• Main Authors: Kim, Wook Hyun, Woo, Sungho, Kim, Kang-Pil, Kwon, Soo-Min, Kim, Dae-Hwan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 17.01.2019; Springer Nature B.V; SpringerOpen
• Subjects: Chemistry and Materials Science; Cs2CO3; Electron transport; Electron transport layer; Energy conversion efficiency; Materials Science; Molecular Medicine; Nano Express; Nanochemistry; Nanoscale Science and Technology; Nanotechnology; Nanotechnology and Microengineering; Photovoltaic cells; Planar-type Sb2S3 solar cell; Solar cells; Solar power; Solution process; Surface roughness; Surface treatment; Titanium dioxide; Work functions; Planar-type Sb; Cs; S; Electron transport layer; Solution process; CO; solar cell; Surface treatment
• ISSN: 1931-7573; 1556-276X
• DOI: 10.1186/s11671-019-2858-5

We report a highly effective surface treatment method for planar-type Sb 2 S 3 solar cells by employing a Cs 2 CO 3 -modified compact TiO 2 (c-TiO 2 ) electron transport layer. It is found that surface treatment using a Cs 2 CO 3 solution can shift the work function of c-TiO 2 upward and reduce its surface roughness. As a result, compared with the power conversion efficiency of untreated solar cells, that of the treated solar cells with a glass/FTO/c-TiO 2 (/Cs 2 CO 3 )/Sb 2 S 3 /P3HT/Au structure significantly improved from 2.83 to 3.97%. This study demonstrates that the introduction of Cs 2 CO 3 on a c-TiO 2 layer is a simple and efficient way to adjust the work function of the electron transport layer and fabricate high-performance planar-type Sb 2 S 3 solar cells.