Synergizing tin dioxide/perovskite interface with fluorine-doped zinc oxide for stabilized and efficient carbon-based perovskite solar cells

The new generation of solar cell technology, perovskite solar cells (PSCs), are the most promising candidates to meet global energy demands. In the current study, we improved the efficiency of their cost-effective type, i.e., carbon-based PSCs, by employing an interface engineering on the tin dioxide (SnO2) electron transport layer (ETL). A fluorine doped-zinc oxide material was used to treat the SnO2 layer and prepare a better substrate for perovskite fabrication. The fabricated perovskite layer on the treated SnO2 reveals better charge transfer, lower charge recombination, and lower leakage current. In addition, the fabricated perovskite layer on the modified ETL showed improved crystalline properties with passivated grain boundaries. As a result, a champion efficiency of 15.22% was recorded for the target carbon-based PSCs, referring to improved photovoltaic performance. Notably, the target devices showed a higher stability behavior against ambient air and kept 95% of their initial efficiency after 1658 h ageing time.