Lecture:    Highly efficient, low-temperature processed planar perovskite solar cells, a step forward to industrialization of perovskite photovoltaics

Lecturer:   Ahmad Kermanpur, professor; Isfahan University of Technology, Iran

Time:        10am, September 10, 2018, Monday

Location:   217 Meeting Room, Energy Building

Biography:

Prof. Ahmad Kermanpur received a bachelor degree in Isfahan University of Technology in Iran, a master and a PhD degree in Sharif University of Technology in the UK, and a PhD in Iran. Prof. Kermanpur is the Vice-chancellor of Academic Affairs of Department of Materials Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology. Prof. Ahmad Kermanpur had his own research group at the Isfahan University of Technology, and his lab focuses on Perovskite-based solar cells (PSCs)，Nanomaterials and Nanotechnologies, and other Advanced Materials (DS/SX Superalloys, Intermetallics, Shape Memory Alloys).

Abstract:

Perovskite-based solar cells (PSCs) have emerged as a promising technology for highly efficient and low-cost photovoltaics. The high efficiencies so far reported (beyond 20%) have been achieved by using high-temperature mesoporous thin layers infiltrated and capped by a tailored-ion Pb-based perovskite material. Mesoporous-free ‘‘planar’’ PSCs have struggled to keep up with the progress of the mesoporous counter parts. Low-temperature planar PSCs are particularly suited for large-scale manufacturing. Here, we propose a simple, low-temperature, solution-processed technological approach for depositing SnO2 layers. The use of these layers in planar PSCs yields a high-stabilized power conversion efficiency close to 21%, exhibiting stable performance under real operating conditions for over 60 hours. In addition, this method yielded remarkable voltages of 1214 mV at a band gap of 1.62 eV confirming the high selectivity of the solution-processed layers. We have also investigated Nb-doping of SnO2 deposited by a low-cost, scalable chemical bath deposition method. The devices with an optimum 5 mol% Nb doping yielded, on average, an improvement of all the device photovoltaic parameters with a champion power conversion efficiency of 20.5% (20.1% stabilized). The newly proposed approach constitutes a simple, scalable method paving the way for industrialization of PSCs.