One-Stone-for-Two-Birds Method to Improve the SnO₂ Layers for High Power-per-Weight Flexible Perovskite Solar Cell Mini-modules

Abstract

Maintaining the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of flexible perovskite solar cells (fPSCs) while decreasing their weight is essential to utilize their lightweight and flexibility as much as possible for commercialization. Strengthening the interfaces between functional layers, such as flexible substrates, charge transport layers, and perovskite active layers, is critical to addressing the issue. Herein, we propose a feasible and one-stone-for-two-birds method to improve the electron transport layer (ETL), SnO2, and the interface between the ETL and perovskite layer simultaneously. In detail, poly(acrylate ammonium) (PAAm), a low-cost polymer with a long chain structure, is added into the SnO2 aqueous solution to reduce the aggregation of SnO2 nanoparticles, resulting in the deposition of a conformal and high-quality ETL film on the tin-doped indium oxide film surface. Simultaneously, PAAm addition can effectively regulate the crystallization of the perovskite films, strengthening the interface between the SnO2 film and the buried surface of the perovskite layer. The outstanding PCEs of 22.41% on small-scale fPSCs and 18.54% on fPSC mini-modules are among the state-of-the-art n-i-p type fPSCs. Moreover, the fPSC mini-module on the 20 μm-thick flexible substrate shows a comparable PCE with that of the fPSC mini-module on the 125 μm-thick flexible substrate, exhibiting a high power-to-weight of 5.097 W/g. This work provides an easy but essential direction for further applications of fPSCs in diverse scenarios.