The conduction band energy, conductivity, mobility, and electronic trap states of electron transport layer (ETL) are very important to the efficiency and stability of a planar perovskite solar cell (PSC). However, as the most widely used ETL, TiO2 often needs to be prepared under high temperature and has unfavorable electrical properties such as low conductivity and high electronic trap states. Modifications such as elemental doping are effective methods for improving the electrical properties of TiO2 and the performance of PSCs. In this study, Nb-doped TiO2 films are prepared by a facile one-port chemical bath process at low temperature (70 °C) and applied as a high quality ETL for planar PSCs. Compared with pure TiO2, the Nb-doped TiO2 is more efficient for photogenerated electron injection and extraction, showing higher conductivity, higher mobility, and lower trap-state density. A PSC with 1% Nb-doped TiO2 yielded a power conversion efficiency of more than 19%, with about 90% of its initial efficiency remaining after storing for 1200 h in air or annealing at 80 °C for 20 h in a glovebox.
Keywords: Nb-doped TiO2; air stability and thermal stability; electron transport layer; perovskite solar cell.