SnO2-based electron transporting layer materials for perovskite solar cells: A review of recent progress

Abstract

Abstract In recent years, due to their high photo-to-electric power conversion efficiency (PCE) (up to 23% (certified)) and low cost, perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have attracted a great deal of attention in photovoltaics field. The high PCE can be attributed to the excellent physical properties of organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite materials, such as a long charge diffusion length and a high absorption coefficient in the visible range. There are different diffusion lengths of holes in electrons in a PSC device, and thus the electron transporting layer (ETL) plays a critical role in the performance of PSCs. An alternative for TiO2, to the most common ETL material is SnO2, which has similar physical properties to TiO2 but with much higher electron mobility, which is beneficial for electron extraction. In addition, there are many facile methods to fabricate SnO2 nanomaterials with low cost and low energy consumption. In this review paper, we focus on recent developments in SnO2 as the ETL of PSCs. The fabrication methods of SnO2 materials are briefly introduced. The influence of multiple SnO2 types in the ETL on the performance of PSCs is then reviewed. Different methods for improving the PCE and long-term stability of PSCs based on SnO2 ETL are also summarized. The review provides a systematic and comprehensive understanding of the influence of different SnO2 ETL types on PSC performance and potentially motivates further development of PSCs with an extension to SnO2-based PSCs.