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Efficient flexible perovskite solar cells and modules using a stable SnO2-nanocrystal isopropanol dispersion

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An Erratum to this article was published on 28 November 2023

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Abstract

The outstanding advantages of lightweight and flexibility enable flexible perovskite solar cells (PSCs) to have great application potential in mobile energy devices. Due to the low cost, low-temperature processibility, and high electron mobility, SnO2 nanocrystals have been widely employed as the electron transport layer in flexible PSCs. To prepare high-quality SnO2 layers, a monodispersed nanocrystal solution is normally used. However, the SnO2 nanocrystals can easily aggregate, especially after long periods of storage. Herein, we develop a green and cost-effective strategy for the synthesis of high-quality SnO2 nanocrystals at low temperatures by introducing small molecules of glycerol, obtaining a stable and well-dispersed SnO2-nanocrystal isopropanol dispersion successfully. Due to the enhanced dispersity and super wettability of this alcohol-based SnO2-nanocrystal solution, large-area smooth and dense SnO2 films are easily deposited on the plastic conductive substrate. Furthermore, this contributes to effective charge transfer and suppressed non-radiative recombination at the interface between the SnO2 and perovskite layers. As a result, a greatly enhanced power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 21.8% from 19.2% is achieved for small-area flexible PSCs. A large-area 5 cm × 5 cm flexible perovskite solar mini-module with a champion PCE of 16.5% and good stability is also demonstrated via this glycerol-modified SnO2-nanocrystal isopropanol dispersion approach.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Plan (No. 2019YFE0107200), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 22279099, 52202292, and 52172230), Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Fund (No. 2021B1515120003), the NSF of Hubei Province (No. 2021CFB051), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. WUT: 2023IVA074), and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) (No. 2019K1A3A1A61091345).

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  1. Zhiwei Su and Jing Li contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China

    Zhiwei Su, Jing Li, Ruixuan Jiang, Shujie Zhang, Chengkai Jin, Feng Ye, Bingcan Ke, Mengjun Zhou, Jinhui Tong, Fuzhi Huang, Yi-Bing Cheng & Tongle Bu

  2. School of Material Science and Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China

    Mengjun Zhou

  3. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Semiconductor Materials and Devices Engineering, Graduate School of Carbon Neutrality, Low Dimensional Carbon Materials Center, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, 44919, Republic of Korea

    Hyesung Park

  4. Xianhu Laboratory of the Advanced Energy Science and Technology, Guangdong Laboratory, Foshan, 528200, China

    Fuzhi Huang & Yi-Bing Cheng

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  1. Zhiwei Su
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  2. Jing Li
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Correspondence to Mengjun Zhou, Hyesung Park or Tongle Bu.

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Su, Z., Li, J., Jiang, R. et al. Efficient flexible perovskite solar cells and modules using a stable SnO2-nanocrystal isopropanol dispersion. Nano Res. 17, 2704–2711 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-023-6115-y

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