Perovskite enhanced solid state ZnO solar cells

This paper will report on the design, fabrication and testing of a solid-state perovskite enhanced ZnO solar cell. The p-type perovskite material used is bismuth ferrite (BFO) which has an absorption range within the blue range of the visible light spectrum. The solid state solar cell, was sensitized with N719 dye and used a CuSCN hole conductor. A disadvantage of ZnO is its poor chemical stability in acidic and corrosive environments. As chemical solution techniques were used in depositing BFO, a buffer method using an aminosilane ((3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane or H₂N(CH₂) ₃Si(OCH₃)₃)) coating was used to provide a protective coating on the ZnO nanorods before the BFO film was spin coated onto the ZnO nanorods. The photovoltaic performance of the solar cells were tested using a Keithley 2400 source meter under 100mW/cm², AM 1.5G simulated sunlight, where improvements in J_sc and efficiency were observed. The BFO was able to harness more electrons and also acted as a buffer from electron recombination.