Browsing by Author "Shalan, Ahmed Esmail"

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Cobalt Oxide (CoOx) as an Efficient Hole-Extracting Layer for High Performance Inverted Planar Perovskite Solar Cells
(2016-12-14)
Shalan, Ahmed Esmail
;
Oshikiri, Tomoya
;
Narra, Sudhakar
;
Elshanawany, Mahmoud M.
;
Ueno, Kosei
CoOx is a promising hole-extracting layer (HEL) for inverted planar perovskite solar cells with device configuration ITO/CoOx/CH3NH3PbI3/PCBM/Ag. The devices fabricated according to a simple solution procedure showed the best photovoltaic performance attaining power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 14.5% under AM 1.5 G 1 sun irradiation, which is significantly superior to those of materials fabricated with a traditional HEL such as PEDOT:PSS (12.2%), NiOx (10.2%), and CuOx (9.4%) under the same experimental conditions. We characterized the chemical compositions with XPS, crystal structures with XRD, and film morphology with SEM/AFM techniques. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra and the corresponding PL decays for perovskite deposited on varied HEL films were recorded to obtain the hole-extracting characteristics, for which the hole extracting times show the order CoOx (2.8 ns) < PEDOT:PSS (17.5 ns) < NiOx (22.8 ns) < CuOx (208.5 ns), consistent with the trend of their photovoltaic performances. The reproducibility and enduring stability of those devices were examined to show the outstanding long-term stability of the devices made of metal oxide HEL, for which the CoOx device retained PCE approximate to 12% for over 1000 h.
Optimization of a compact layer of TiO2 via atomic-layer deposition for high-performance perovskite solar cells
(2017-09-01)
Shalan, Ahmed Esmail
;
Narra, Sudhakar
;
Oshikiri, Tomoya
;
Ueno, Kosei
;
Shi, Xu
We report the effect of thickness of a film consisting of a compact layer of TiO2 produced via atomic-layer deposition (ALD) for mesoporous perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with a n-i-p configuration. Uniform and pinhole-free TiO2 films of thickness from 10 to 400 nm were deposited on fluorine-doped tin-oxide substrates using ALD. The device performance of the PSC showed a trend systematic with the thickness of the ALD-TiO2 compact layer and attained the best efficiency, 15.0%, of power conversion at thickness 200 nm. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra and the corresponding PL decays for perovskite (PSK) deposited on varied ALD-TiO2 films were recorded; the effective PL quenching is due to electron transfer from PSK into the ALD-TiO2 compact layer. The most efficient interfacial electron transfer occurred at film thickness 200 nm, for which the ALD-TiO2 film has the greatest surface roughness and conductivity. We found a systematic correlation between the device performance in relation to the conductivity and the rate of interfacial electron transfer as a function of thickness of the ALD-TiO2 film; the best performance occurred at thickness 200 nm. The devices showed great stability and reproducibility, providing an alternative for high-performance PSCs with a well-controlled TiO2 compact layer.
Versatile plasmonic-effects at the interface of inverted perovskite solar cells
(2017)
Shalan, Ahmed Esmail
;
Oshikiri, Tomoya
;
Sawayanagi, Hiroki
;
Nakamura, Keisuke
;
Ueno, Kosei
Plasmonics is a highly promising approach to enhancing the light-harvesting properties of hybrid organic/ inorganic perovskite solar cells. In the present work, our cells have a p-i-n inverted planar structure. An ultrathin NiO film with two different thicknesses of 5 and 10 nm prepared by a pulsed laser deposition process on an ITO substrate with a faceted and furrowed surface enabled the formation of a continuous and compact layer of well-crystallized CH3NH3PbI3 via an anti-solvent chlorobenzene process. The coverage mechanism of the NiO film on the ITO was clearly demonstrated through the J-V and external quantum efficiency (EQE) curves. Moreover, the results demonstrated that the gold nanoislands (Au NIs) increased the power conversion efficiency to 5.1%, almost double that of the samples without Au NIs. This result is due to the excitation of surface plasmons, which is characterized by strong scattering and enhancement of the electric field in the vicinity of the Au NIs loaded at the interface between the NiO and perovskite films. Additionally, we observed an enhancement of the EQE at wavelengths shorter than the plasmon resonance peak. In the current state, we speculate that the plasmoelectric potential effect is considered to be a good explanation of the photocurrent enhancement at the off-resonance region. Our work provides good guidance for the design and fabrication of solar-energy-related devices employing NiO electrodes and plasmonic Au NIs.
Versatile plasmonic-effects at the interface of inverted perovskite solar cells
(2017)
Shalan, Ahmed Esmail
;
Oshikiri, Tomoya
;
Sawayanagi, Hiroki
;
Nakamura, Keisuke
;
Ueno, Kosei
Plasmonics is a highly promising approach to enhancing the light-harvesting properties of hybrid organic/ inorganic perovskite solar cells. In the present work, our cells have a p-i-n inverted planar structure. An ultrathin NiO film with two different thicknesses of 5 and 10 nm prepared by a pulsed laser deposition process on an ITO substrate with a faceted and furrowed surface enabled the formation of a continuous and compact layer of well-crystallized CH3NH3PbI3 via an anti-solvent chlorobenzene process. The coverage mechanism of the NiO film on the ITO was clearly demonstrated through the J-V and external quantum efficiency (EQE) curves. Moreover, the results demonstrated that the gold nanoislands (Au NIs) increased the power conversion efficiency to 5.1%, almost double that of the samples without Au NIs. This result is due to the excitation of surface plasmons, which is characterized by strong scattering and enhancement of the electric field in the vicinity of the Au NIs loaded at the interface between the NiO and perovskite films. Additionally, we observed an enhancement of the EQE at wavelengths shorter than the plasmon resonance peak. In the current state, we speculate that the plasmoelectric potential effect is considered to be a good explanation of the photocurrent enhancement at the off-resonance region. Our work provides good guidance for the design and fabrication of solar-energy-related devices employing NiO electrodes and plasmonic Au NIs.