Understanding the strategies to attain the best performance of all inorganic lead‐free perovskite solar cells: Theoretical insights

International Journal of Energy ResearchVolume 46, Issue 11 p. 15881-15899 RESEARCH ARTICLE Understanding the strategies to attain the best performance of all inorganic lead-free perovskite solar cells: Theoretical insights Priyanka Roy, Priyanka Roy Thin Film Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, National Institute of Technology, Raipur, IndiaSearch for more papers by this authorAyush Khare, Corresponding Author Ayush Khare akhare.phy@nitrr.ac.in orcid.org/0000-0002-9927-2545 Thin Film Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, National Institute of Technology, Raipur, India Correspondence Ayush Khare, Thin Film Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, National Institute of Technology, Raipur 492010, India. Email: akhare.phy@nitrr.ac.inSearch for more papers by this author Priyanka Roy, Priyanka Roy Thin Film Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, National Institute of Technology, Raipur, IndiaSearch for more papers by this authorAyush Khare, Corresponding Author Ayush Khare akhare.phy@nitrr.ac.in orcid.org/0000-0002-9927-2545 Thin Film Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, National Institute of Technology, Raipur, India Correspondence Ayush Khare, Thin Film Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, National Institute of Technology, Raipur 492010, India. Email: akhare.phy@nitrr.ac.inSearch for more papers by this author First published: 01 July 2022 https://doi.org/10.1002/er.8287Citations: 1Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Summary Within a decade of their existence, the potential of Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) has been recognized by the research community. To date, the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) attained by PSCs has touched the 25.8% mark. However, most of the leading PSCs have incorporation of toxic lead (Pb), posing a barrier on the market acceptability of these cells. Inorganic lead-free PSCs are being explored extensively as clean and green energy sources. By bridging the performance gap and stability issues, the drawbacks of lead-free PSCs can be minimized. In this work, we have optimized CsSn0.5Ge0.5I3-based PSCs using various organic and inorganic transport layers. A comparative analysis of all the simulated cells in terms of capacitance-voltage (C-V) and conductance-voltage (G-V) characterization has been done. This work reveals the decisive role of charge transport layers (CTLs) in the determination of the built-in potential of the cell. The impact of absorber layer thickness (with different levels of defect densities), variation of thickness of electron transport layer (ETL), and hole transport layer (HTL) on the performance of PSCs is studied. The results of study on the effect of carrier concentration on the absorber layer, ETL, and HTL (using both organic and inorganic charge transport layers) on the performance of the cell is also conducted. This study explains the role of energy band level tuning required between CTLs and the absorber layer. The role of band offset at the interface of the CTL (ETL/HTL) and perovskite layer upon charge transportation and collection mechanisms are explained in detail. We have calculated and explained the optimum Valence Band Offset and Conduction Band Offset required for a PSC to exhibit the best possible performance. In addition, we have analyzed the role of contact formation and optimum barrier height (¢B) required between HTL and back contact to obtain efficient PSC using different back contacts. Upon using similar cell configuration and different back contacts (Ni, Au, and Ag), the optimized values of (VBO, ¢B) are (0.15 eV, −0.05 eV), (0.1 eV, −0.4 eV), and (−0.15 eV, −0.51 eV), respectively. CONFLICT OF INTEREST The authors declare that they have no known financial interests or personal relationship that could have appeared to influence the work in this paper. Open Research DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Citing Literature Supporting Information Filename Description er8287-sup-0001-supinfo.docxWord 2007 document , 16.9 KB Appendix S1. Supporting Information. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article. Volume46, Issue11September 2022Pages 15881-15899 RelatedInformation