In this work, the efficiency improvement of planar perovskite solar cells by the introduction of modified electron transport layers (ETLs) is investigated. To this aim, a cobalt complex dye as… Click to show full abstract
In this work, the efficiency improvement of planar perovskite solar cells by the introduction of modified electron transport layers (ETLs) is investigated. To this aim, a cobalt complex dye as sensitizer for TiO2, based on Schiff base ligand (Co-NG), and a ZnO layer were prepared by the sol gel method and are tested. The electrodes and the complex are characterized by x-ray diffraction, TGA/DSC and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The photo-physical properties of Co-NG complex investigated at the molecular level show that the dye exhibits good optical behavior with two maxima around 415 nm and 604 nm and a high molar extinction coefficient equal to 27.5 × 103 M−1 cm−1. The influence of sensitization on the optical properties of the ETLs is tested and strong interactions between the dye and the ETLs are found. As a result, the solar cell performances of TiO2/Co-NG and ZnO/Co-NG exhibit a significant efficiency increase equal to 18.94% and 16.32%, respectively, compared to the reference solar cells.Graphic Abstract
               
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