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Effect of gold nanoparticles on transmittance and conductance of graphene oxide thin films and efficiency of perovskite solar cells

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Abstract

The structural and optoelectronic properties of graphene oxide (GO) bulk material were studied, and conductance and transmittance of GO thin films in absence and presence of AuNPs were optimized for further applications. GO with 0.25 mg/mL and AuNPs (0.5 mL) on GO thin films (0.25 mg/mL) were observed to have highest transmittance of 75% and 72%, respectively, and highest conductance of 7.9 × 103 S and 8.2 × 103 S, respectively. Further, these thin films were utilized as a hole transport layer (HTL) for a prototype inverted perovskite solar cell structure. GO and AuNPs/GO deposited on FTO glass show efficiency of 1.35% and 1.25%, respectively. This decrease in efficiency is associated with the deteriorated crystalline structure of perovskite in the presence of AuNPs and similar HOMO level of AuNPs as of GO, which competes hole transfer.

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Acknowledgements

The research described in this paper was financially supported by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan under National Research Program for Universities with reference no 20-3369/R&D/HEC/14/978 and by DAAD under the funding program of Research Stays for University Academics and Scientists, 2018 with ID: 57378441 and personal ref. no.: 91686952, awarded to Dr. AJ Shaikh. We are also thankful to Dr. Asad Muhammad Khan for the photoluminescence measurement of GO.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Abbottabad, 22060, Pakistan

    Muhammad Jawad, Muhammad Mohsin, Sohail Anjum Shahzad & Ahson Jabbar Shaikh

  2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Institute of Space Technology, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan

    Abdul Faheem Khan

  3. Department of Chemistry, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan

    Amir Waseem

  4. Pakistan Council of Renewable Energy Technologies (PCRET), Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan

    Afzal Hussain Kamboh

  5. Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Abbottabad, 22060, Pakistan

    Sajid Hussain Shah

  6. Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Cologne, Cologne, 50939, Germany

    Sanjay Mathur & Ahson Jabbar Shaikh

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  1. Muhammad Jawad
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  2. Abdul Faheem Khan
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Correspondence to Sanjay Mathur or Ahson Jabbar Shaikh.

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Jawad, M., Khan, A.F., Waseem, A. et al. Effect of gold nanoparticles on transmittance and conductance of graphene oxide thin films and efficiency of perovskite solar cells. Appl Nanosci 10, 485–497 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13204-019-01134-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13204-019-01134-x

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