MXene‑based novel nanocomposites doped SnO2 for boosting the performance of perovskite solar cells

• Main Authors: T.F., Alhamada, M.A., Azmah Hanim, D.W., Jung, R., Saidur, A.A., Nuraini, W.Z., Wan Hasan, M., Mohamad Noh, M.A.M., Teridi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Springer Nature 2024
• Online Access: http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/111494/1/s41598-024-64632-1.pdf; http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/111494/; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-64632-1
• Institution: Universiti Putra Malaysia

Since being first published in 2018, the use of two-dimensional MXene in solar cells has attracted significant interest. This study presents, for the first time, the synthesis of an efficient hybrid electrocatalyst in the form of a nanocomposite (MXene/CoS)-SnO2 designed to function as a high performance electron transfer layer (ETL). The study can be divided into three distinct parts. The first part involves the synthesis of single-layer Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets, followed by the preparation of a CoS solution. Subsequently, in the second part, the fabrication of MXene/CoS heterostructure nanocomposites is carried out, and a comprehensive characterization is conducted to evaluate the physical, structural, and optical properties. In the third part, the attention is on the crucial characterizations of the novel nanocomposite-electron transport layer (ETL) solution, significantly contributing to the evolution of perovskite solar cells. Upon optimising the composition, an exceptional power conversion efficiency of more than 17.69% is attained from 13.81% of the control devices with fill factor (FF), short-circuit current density (Jsc), and open-circuit voltage (Voc) were 66.51%, 20.74 mA/cm2 , and 1.282V. Therefore, this PCE is 21.93% higher than the control device. The groundbreaking MXene/CoS (2 mg ­mL−1) strategy reported in this research represents a promising and innovative avenue for the realization of highly efficient perovskite solar cells.