Ultrathin SnO2 electron transport layers for perovskite solar cells by combustion method at low temperature

Electron transport layers can collect photo-generated electrons and suppress interfacial recombination, which are crucial for efficient perovskite solar cells. Tin oxide is a suitable electron transport material for its wide bandgap, high electron mobility, low photocatalytic activity and appropriate energy band offsets. For the deposition of tin oxide layers, SnCl2 precursor is usually used for the conventional solution spin-coating method. In this work, we developed an in-situ synthesized precursor, and ultrathin tin oxide layers were obtained by the combustion process at 150 °C. Furthermore, the devices with these tin oxide layers can achieve the PCE of 19.6%, while conventional tin oxide layers with SnCl2 precursor lead to the PCEs of 16.9% and 14.9% with and without plasma treatment. This improvement can be related to the enhanced photoelectron collection and superior interfacial contact. This work provides a facile method for fabricating SnO2 electron transport layers of perovskite solar cells at low temperature. [Display omitted] •A novel SnO2 precursor solution was developed by the in-situ synthesis from tin powder.•SnO2 ETLs with high purity were prepared by the combustion process at low temperature.•Ultrathin SnO2 ETLs were obtained with enhanced charge collection and interfacial contact.•PSCs with newly developed SnO2 ETLs were superior to devices by conventional SnCl2 precursor.