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Performance analysis of highlyefficient lead-free perovskite solar cells: a numerical insight

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Abstract

Organometallic halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are well known for their superior performance, ease of manufacture, and versatility. However, the inclusion of poisonous lead in traditional PSCs has prompted environmental concerns, encouraging research into lead-free alternatives. Despite the potential of lead-free PSCs, their commercial feasibility has been hampered by inefficiencies, demanding rigorous numerical research to discover root causes and optimize power conversion efficiency (PCE). This study focuses on lead-free PSCs designed with Methylammonium Germanium Iodide (MAGeI3) as a perovskite absorbing layer (PAL) and employs the SCAPS-1D modeling technique to exploit PCE. The device emphasizes a MAGeI3-based PSC arrangement with sandwich layers made up of TiO2 as the electron transport material (ETM) and Cu2O (Copper Oxide) as the hole transport material (HTM). The performance of the device is evaluated using a complete study and optimization of many variables including consecutive active layer thickness, impedance characteristics, capacitance-voltage (C-V) behavior, operating temperature, and defect density. The findings show that proposed PSCs attain an ideal PCE of 26.50%, due to considerable improvements in fill factor (FF) of 79.09%, open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 1.221 V, and short-circuit current density (JSC) of 27.45 mAcm− 2. It has been too found that after optimizing several aspects of the suggested structure, the performance metrics show a 90% increase in external quantum efficiency (EQE) a little above the previously reported PSC. This extensive investigation gives significant insights into the elements impacting lead-free PSC performance and paves the road for the creation of more efficient devices. The present work looks into MAGeI3-based PSCs, discovering crucial optimization variables, progressing lead-free solar cell technology, and supporting sustainable energy options.

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Acknowledgements

The author Dipankar Gogoi would like to convey his heartfelt thanks to the National Institute of Technology Arunachal Pradesh, Jote, India, for supporting his research work. This work was funded by the Researchers Supporting Project Number (RSP2024R267) King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The authors wish to acknowledge Dr. Marc Burgelman and his collaborators from the University of Gent in Belgium for having provided the accessible SCAPS-1D computational software.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Basic & Applied Science, National Institute of Technology Arunachal Pradesh, Jote, 791113, India

    Dipankar Gogoi & T. D. Das

  2. Institute of Electronics, Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, Dhaka, 1349, Bangladesh

    M. Khalid Hossain

  3. Department of Advanced Energy Engineering Science, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 816-8560, Japan

    M. Khalid Hossain

  4. College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China

    Gazi F. I. Toki

  5. Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia

    Munirah D. Albaqami & Saikh Mohammad

  6. Department of Laser and Optoelectronic Engineering, Al-Ma’moon University College, Al-Washash, Baghdad, Iraq

    M. R. Mohammad

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  1. Dipankar Gogoi
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Correspondence to M. Khalid Hossain.

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Gogoi, D., Hossain, M.K., Das, T.D. et al. Performance analysis of highlyefficient lead-free perovskite solar cells: a numerical insight. J Opt (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12596-024-01880-4

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