Highly porous nanostructured NiO@C as interface -effective layer in planar n-i-p perovskite solar cells

In this study, metal–organic framework (MOF)-derived NiO@C nanoparticles were synthesized and subsequently used as effective interference layers in planar n-i-p perovskite solar cells (PSCs). NiO@C nanoparticles were prepared using MOFs as template, and presented high porosity which improved the conductivity of the photovoltaic device. The morphological and structural characteristics of the NiO@C nanoparticles were examined using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analyses. Moreover, the photovoltaic properties of the fabricated PSCs were analyzed to elucidate the effect of NiO@C on them. By inserting a NiO@C thin film between the perovskite and spiro-OMeTAD layers of PSCs, the number of defects at the surface of perovskite was reduced and charge transfer was more efficient, which led to the improved power conversion efficiency of the PSCs. The maximum power conversion efficiency of NiO@C-containing PSC was 15.78%, which was higher than that of the control PSC (13.79%). © 2020 Elsevier B.V.