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The multicrystalline grain size of CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 thin films can be manipulated by using different precursor concentrations which dominate the competition between the nucleation and crystal growth during the one-step spin-coating process with the toluene washing treatment. A comprehensive study was carried out to explore the correlation between the structural properties and the exciton dynamics in CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 thin films fabricated using various precursor concentrations from 1.25 M to 1.65 M. The experimental results show that the precursor concentration influences the grain size and exciton dynamics of the resultant CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 thin films which were fabricated on top of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-polystyrene sulfonate/ITO/glass substrates. The higher average power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 13.66% achieved can be explained as being due to the formation of a larger CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 grain size which thus results in higher photocurrent generation and lower voltage loss. It is predicted that the PCE can be further improved when the voltage loss across the CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 thin film is minimized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A phase-pure mixed-organic-cation perovskite absorber (MOC-PA) was fabricated by a one-step spin-coating process with a toluene washing treatment, and the structural, optical and excitonic properties of the resultant MOC-PAs were then characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, absorbance spectrometer, and time-resolved photoluminescence. The averaged power conversion efficiency (PCE) of inverted phase-pure MOC-PA based photovoltaics could be improved from 12.21% to 13.28% by tailing the surface roughness of the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) thin film from 1.43 nm to 1.84 nm. The improved PCE is mainly due to the increased short-circuit current density ( J SC ) which is attributed to the improvement of the exciton dissociation, as confirmed by photoluminescence experiments. In addition, the experimental results indicate that the PCE can be further improved by increasing the crystallinity of MOC-PAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) containing D–π–A organic dyes, named as TEDBn and TEDTh were prepared. Their optical, electrochemical and photophysical properties were investigated and their application in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) was demonstrated. The broaden absorption and low-energy λ max of DPP containing dyes were contributed from DPP bridge and EDOT π-conjugated moiety. Compared to TEDTh, TEDBn has smaller absorption coefficient and higher optical bandgap. Nevertheless the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of TEDBn based DSC is 7.2% which is larger than that of TEDTh based DSC and 90% of N719 based cell. The higher PCE of TEDBn based device originates from both higher open-circuit voltage (V OC ) and short-circuit current (J SC ). Femtosecond time-resolved photoluminescence data show that the electron injection at TEDBn/TiO 2 is more efficient than that at TEDTh/TiO 2 interface, resulting in higher J SC (and IPCE) of TEDBn based DSC. Density function theory (DFT) calculations revealed that TEDBn is a linear structure which leads to higher dye loading on TiO 2 than TEDTh which featured a bend conformation, better TiO 2 surface coverage, resulting in larger V OC . Therefore, the overall efficiency of the cell sensitized by TEDBn is better than that the devices based on TEDTh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work studies annealing effects of the CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 perovskite film for solar cell applications by time-resolved photoluminescence (TR-PL) spectra. The different thermal annealing temperatures process influences the quality and exciton lifetime of the CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 perovskite film and importantly the device performance. The CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 perovskite film of the optimal thermal annealing temperatures (100 °C) would significantly extended exciton lifetime and yield a higher open-circuit voltage, with short-circuit current density ( J SC ) = 21.58 mA/cm 2 , open-circuit voltage ( V OC ) = 0.84 V, fill factor (FF) = 61.4%, and η = 11.12%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive study was carried out to understand the formation of a crystalline tri-iodide perovskite absorber (TPA) on top of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS). Scanning electron microscopy, two-dimensional X-ray diffraction and nanosecond time-resolved photoluminescence were used to explore the correlation between the surface morphology and the exciton lifetime in TPA fabricated with and without the in-situ toluene washing treatment. The toluene washing treatment decreases the crystallinity (exciton lifetime) of TPA and improves the TPA coverage on the non-crystalline PEDOT:PSS surface. The high average power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 10.61% achieved can be explained as due to the efficient exciton dissociation at the interface between the TPA and the PEDOT:PSS. The experimental results show that the PCE can be further improved when the crystallinity of TPA and the TPA coverage on PEDOT:PSS are simultaneously optimized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive studies were carried out to understand the thickness effects of ZnO thin films for tri-iodide perovskite absorber (TPA) based photovoltaics, including the absorption spectrum, photoluminescence, nanosecond time-resolved photoluminescence (NTRPL), and photo-induced absorption (PIA) of TPA/ZnO/ITO/glass. These were carried out in order to explore the Urbach energy of TPA films and the exciton dissociation at the interface between TPA and ZnO. The results show that the thickness of the ZnO thin film significantly influences the photovoltaic performance in terms of open-circuit voltage ( V OC ), fill factor (FF), and short-circuit current density ( J SC ). In the case of the thicker ZnO film, the photovoltaics have the better FF and V oc , as a result of the smaller electron recombination. This means that a thicker ZnO film can block the electron recombination from the Fermi level of the ITO to the valance band of the TPA. On the other hand, the thicker ZnO film results in a higher J SC due to the better exciton dissociation at the interface between TPA and ZnO, which means that the electron mobility of the thicker ZnO is higher. Consequently, the photovoltaic performance can be expected to be improved by using a transparent cathode electrode with high conductivity and electron mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) were used to investigate the improved short-circuit current density ( J SC ) of CdS/CdSe quantum dot (QD)-sensitized solar cells with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Raman and PL experiments were carried out in order to explore the hot-electron and cold-electron injections, respectively. The experimental results showed that the concentration of MWCNTs influences the hot-electron and cold-electron injections from CdS/CdSe QDs to TiO 2 nanoparticles. Therefore, the improved J SC in CdS/CdSe QD-sensitized solar cells can be explained as due to the better electron injections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]