Low-Temperature Remote Plasma Synthesis of Highly Porous TiO$_2$ as Electron Transport Layers in Perovskite Solar Cells

Fuente: arXiv
Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Obrero-Perez, Jose M., Nunez-Galvez, Fernando, Contreras-Bernal, Lidia, Castillo-Seoane, Javier, Moreno, Gloria P., Czermak, Triana, Aparicio, Francisco J., Rojas, Teresa C., Ferrer, Francisco J., Borras, Ana, Barranco, Angel, Sanchez-Valencia, Juan R
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:
Etiquetas: Agregar Etiqueta
Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!
_version_ 1866929762225618944
author Obrero-Perez, Jose M.
Nunez-Galvez, Fernando
Contreras-Bernal, Lidia
Castillo-Seoane, Javier
Moreno, Gloria P.
Czermak, Triana
Aparicio, Francisco J.
Rojas, Teresa C.
Ferrer, Francisco J.
Borras, Ana
Barranco, Angel
Sanchez-Valencia, Juan R
author_facet Obrero-Perez, Jose M.
Nunez-Galvez, Fernando
Contreras-Bernal, Lidia
Castillo-Seoane, Javier
Moreno, Gloria P.
Czermak, Triana
Aparicio, Francisco J.
Rojas, Teresa C.
Ferrer, Francisco J.
Borras, Ana
Barranco, Angel
Sanchez-Valencia, Juan R
contents Halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) offer high efficiency and low costs, making them key for future photovoltaics. Optimizing charge transport layers is crucial, with porous TiO$_2$ widely used as electron transport layers (ETL) due to its energy alignment, transparency, and abundance. However, its efficiency relies on crystallinity requiring high-temperature processing (>450$^\circ$C), increasing costs and limiting flexible substrates. Low-temperature wet-chemical methods face scalability issues due to material waste and hazardous solvents. In this context, plasma-based technologies are emerging as a more efficient and sustainable alternative to oxide-based ETLs. This study presents the synthesis of TiO$_2$ layers using an advanced plasma method combining remote plasma-assisted vacuum deposition (RPAVD) and soft plasma etching (SPE) at mild temperatures (<200$^\circ$C), allowing control of microstructure and porosity. The resulting nanocolumnar film, decorated with a highly porous aerogel-like layer, enhances optical and electronic properties. These plasma-synthesized TiO$_2$ layers are antireflective and improve the efficiency in porous n-i-p PSCs, matching the performance of high-temperature reference cells. These PSCs achieve a champion PCE of 14.6%, a high value compared to reference devices synthesized at 450°C. Impedance spectroscopy confirms high recombination resistance and stable capacitance, linked to improved perovskite crystallinity. Our results highlight the potential of the RPAVD+SPE approach for producing low-temperature efficient ETLs, providing a feasible, industrially scalable, and eco-friendly alternative for manufacturing flexible, high-performance photovoltaic devices.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_13153
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Low-Temperature Remote Plasma Synthesis of Highly Porous TiO$_2$ as Electron Transport Layers in Perovskite Solar Cells
Obrero-Perez, Jose M.
Nunez-Galvez, Fernando
Contreras-Bernal, Lidia
Castillo-Seoane, Javier
Moreno, Gloria P.
Czermak, Triana
Aparicio, Francisco J.
Rojas, Teresa C.
Ferrer, Francisco J.
Borras, Ana
Barranco, Angel
Sanchez-Valencia, Juan R
Materials Science
Halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) offer high efficiency and low costs, making them key for future photovoltaics. Optimizing charge transport layers is crucial, with porous TiO$_2$ widely used as electron transport layers (ETL) due to its energy alignment, transparency, and abundance. However, its efficiency relies on crystallinity requiring high-temperature processing (>450$^\circ$C), increasing costs and limiting flexible substrates. Low-temperature wet-chemical methods face scalability issues due to material waste and hazardous solvents. In this context, plasma-based technologies are emerging as a more efficient and sustainable alternative to oxide-based ETLs. This study presents the synthesis of TiO$_2$ layers using an advanced plasma method combining remote plasma-assisted vacuum deposition (RPAVD) and soft plasma etching (SPE) at mild temperatures (<200$^\circ$C), allowing control of microstructure and porosity. The resulting nanocolumnar film, decorated with a highly porous aerogel-like layer, enhances optical and electronic properties. These plasma-synthesized TiO$_2$ layers are antireflective and improve the efficiency in porous n-i-p PSCs, matching the performance of high-temperature reference cells. These PSCs achieve a champion PCE of 14.6%, a high value compared to reference devices synthesized at 450°C. Impedance spectroscopy confirms high recombination resistance and stable capacitance, linked to improved perovskite crystallinity. Our results highlight the potential of the RPAVD+SPE approach for producing low-temperature efficient ETLs, providing a feasible, industrially scalable, and eco-friendly alternative for manufacturing flexible, high-performance photovoltaic devices.
title Low-Temperature Remote Plasma Synthesis of Highly Porous TiO$_2$ as Electron Transport Layers in Perovskite Solar Cells
topic Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.13153