Low-Temperature and Solution-Processed Amorphous WO(x) as Electron-Selective Layer for Perovskite Solar Cells.

The electron-selective layer (ESL) is an indispensable component of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) and is responsible for the collection of photogenerated electrons. Preparing ESL at a low temperature is significant for future fabrication of flexible PSCs. In this work, solution-processed amorphous WO(x) thin film was prepared facilely at low temperature and used as ESL in PSCs. Results indicated that a large quantity of nanocaves were observed in the WO(x) thin film. In comparison with the conventional TiO2 ESL, the WO(x) ESL exhibited comparable light transmittance but higher electrical conductivity. Compared with the TiO2-based PSCs, PSCs that use WO(x) ESL exhibited comparable photoelectric conversion efficiency, larger short-circuit current density, but lower open-circuit voltage. Electrochemical characterization indicated that the unsatisfied open-circuit voltage and fill factor were caused by the inherent charge recombination. This study demonstrated that this material is an excellent candidate for ESL.