Low temperature fabrication of hybrid solar cells using co-sensitizer of perovskite and lead sulfide nanoparticles

Our cost-effective approach for hybridizing methylammonium lead iodide and PbS nanoparticles at low temperature (≤100 °C) for photovoltaic devices is introduced. As employed into a perovskite based solar cell platform, effects of PbS on the device performance were investigated. Through experimental observations under simulated air-mass 1.5G illumination (irradiation intensity of 100 mWcm⁻²), the efficiency of a perovskite:PbS device is 11% higher than that of a pristine perovskite solar cell under the same fabrication conditions as a result of the broadened absorption range in the infrared region. The highest photovoltaic performance was observed at a PbS concentration of 2% with an open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current density, fill factor, and power-conversion efficiency of 0.557 V, 22.841 mA cm⁻², 0.55, and 6.99%, respectively. Furthermore, PbS NPs could induce hydrophobic modification of the perovskite surface, leading to an improvement of the device stability in the air. Finally, the low-temperature and cost-effective fabrication process of the hybrid solar cells is a good premise for developing flexible/stretchable cells as well as future optoelectronic devices.