Potassium hexacyanoferrate(III): A promising additive for perovskite precursors in carbon-based perovskite solar cells

Abstract

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) that use carbon electrodes and low-temperature processed electron transport layers (ETLs) show great promise in meeting global energy needs at an affordable price. Our current research is focused on the development of carbon-based perovskite solar cells (PSCs) that incorporate low-temperature titanium oxide electron transport layers (ETLs) to enhance their photovoltaic performance. In our approach, we introduce potassium hexacyanoferrate(III) material into the pre-solution of the MAPbI3 perovskite to fabricate a light-harvesting layer. This promising technique has shown great potential in improving the overall performance of PSCs. This additive reduces the formation of non-radiative recombination centers, resulting in a perovskite layer that is desirable and free from defects. Furthermore, photovoltaic devices based on potassium hexacyanoferrate(III) exhibit reduced transfer resistance, leading to faster charge transfer at the interfaces of TiO2/perovskite and perovskite/carbon electrodes. As a result, the efficiency of PSCs can be improved by up to 14.89%, which is significantly higher than the recorded efficiency of unmodified PSCs at 12.05%. In addition, PSCs based on potassium hexacyanoferrate show greater stability in ambient air compared to their unmodified counterparts.