Green Synthesis of Lead Sulphide Nanoparticles for High-Efficiency Perovskite Solar Cell Applications

Abstract

In this study, lead sulfide (PbS) nanoparticles were synthesized by the chemical precipitation method using Aloe Vera extract with PbCl2 and Thiourea (H2N-CS-NH2). The synthesized nanoparticles have been investigated using x-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). XRD and TEM results confirm that the films are in the cubic phase. The crystallite size, lattice constant, micro-strain, dislocation density, optical bandgap, etc. have been determined using XRD and UV-Vis for investigating the quality of prepared nanoparticles. The possible application of these synthesized nanoparticles in the solar cells was investigated by fabricating the thin films on an FTO-coated and bare glass substrate. The properties of nanoparticles were found to be nearly retained in the film state as well. The experimentally found properties of thin films have been implemented for perovskite solar cell simulation and current-voltage and capacitance-voltage characteristics have been investigated. The simulation results showed that PbS nanoparticles could be a potential hole transport layer for high-efficiency perovskite solar cell applications.

Recent Advances in Nanostructured Inorganic Hole-Transporting Materials for Perovskite Solar Cells

“…Recently, inorganic materials have emerged as new-generation HTLs to replace organic counterparts due to several distinct advantages such as superior hole collection/migration capability, high conductivity, stability and light transmittance, easy adjustment of energy levels, low cost, simple fabrication, etc. [ 56 , 57 , 58 , 69 ]. Until now, several inorganic materials have been utilized as HTLs for PSCs, including NiO x , CuO x , CuS, MoS 2 , VO x , WO 3 , CuSCN, etc.…”

“…Until now, several inorganic materials have been utilized as HTLs for PSCs, including NiO x , CuO x , CuS, MoS 2 , VO x , WO 3 , CuSCN, etc. [ 41 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 ]. Since the first investigation of inorganic HTLs for PSCs, numerous efforts have been devoted to boosting the PCEs of inorganic HTL-based PSCs [ 56 , 64 , 68 , 107 ].…”

“…[ 41 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 ]. Since the first investigation of inorganic HTLs for PSCs, numerous efforts have been devoted to boosting the PCEs of inorganic HTL-based PSCs [ 56 , 64 , 68 , 107 ]. Fortunately, the obtained PCEs of inorganic HTL-based PSCs are now comparable to those of their organic counterparts.…”

“…Thus, inorganic HTLs with high intrinsic structural and thermal stability are regarded as highly promising alternatives to replace organic counterparts for stable PSCs [ 54 , 55 ]. Particularly, the nanostructure construction is also reported to effectively enhance the hole transfer capability of inorganic HTLs [ 56 , 57 ]. For instance, a number of nanostructured inorganic HTLs have been designed and developed for PSCs such as metal oxide/sulfide-based nanostructures, including NiO x nanoparticles (NPs), CuIn 0.5 Ga 0.5 S 2 NPs and Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 NPs, CuSCN NPs, CuGaO 2 -CuSCN nanocomposite, etc., due to the relatively superb chemical stability, high hole mobility, tunable band gap and low cost [ 37 , 57 , 58 , 59 ].…”

Tuning the Magnetic Behavior of Zinc Ferrite via Cobalt Substitution: A Structural Analysis

“…Change of lattice parameters follows Vagurd’s law, in which the lattice constant increases with an increase in cobalt content. The dislocation densities (δ’s) of the synthesized nanoparticles were calculated through eq . The values of dislocation density (10 14 cm –2 ) were calculated to be 5.518, 1.3, 1.259, and 3.60, respectively (Table ), which demonstrated an overall increase with the change in zinc content. δ = 1 / D 2 …”