Plasmonic Photo-Electrode with AgNPs as Artificial Nano-Antenna for Enhanced Performance in Perovskite Solar Cells

Abstract

The introduction of noble metal nanoparticles in solar cells has been proven to enhance the performance of perovskite solar cells. In this study, silver-modified photoanodes were utilized to improve the performance of perovskite solar cells through successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) procedures. Due to the surface plasmon resonance effect, the light trapping capacity of the device was enhanced with superior photovoltaic properties. The plasmonic effects of the introduced silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were explored using SEM, XRD, UV-visible absorption spectrophotometer and solar simulator. The SEM results show compact morphologies and shinning surfaces indicating the presence of AgNPs. The XRD result shows a good crystal phase. The UV-vis results show enhanced optical absorption with AgNPs incorporation. The photovoltaic characteristics of the fabricated PSCs are: (i) pristine device; Jsc of 6.440 mA/cm2, Voc. of 0.948 V, FF of 0.642 and PCE of 3.917%, (ii) device with 1 SILAR of AgNPs; Jsc of 014.426 mA/cm2, Voc. of 0.949 V, FF of 0.642 and PCE of 8.795%, and (iii) device with 2 SILAR of AgNPs; Jsc of 10.815 mA/cm2, Voc of 0.917 V, FF of 0.558 and PCE of 5.536%. The device with the best performance is made of 1 SILAR cycle of AgNPs which shows an enhancement of ~2.245 times in PCE, ~2.240 times in Jsc and ~1.001 times in Voc over the reference device. The results in this study have unlocked the beneficial role of AgNPs and further contribute to understanding surface plasmon effect due to AgNPs introduction.

Keywords

• silver nanoparticles
• perovskites solar cells
• surface plasmon
• silar