Application of Au@SiO2 Plasmonic Nanoparticles at Interface of TiO2 Mesoporous Layers in Perovskite Solar Cells

To investigate the plasmonic effect in perovskite solar cells, the effect of depositing Au@SiO2 nanoparticles on the top and the bottom of mesoporous TiO2 layers was studied. First, Au@SiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized. The particles were then deposited at the different interfaces of mesoporous TiO2 layers. Although the two structures show approximately similar optical absorption, only cells with Au@SiO2 nanoparticles deposited at the bottom of the mesoporous TiO2 layers demonstrated an improved photocurrent performance compared to the reference cells. This structure shows a short-circuit current density (JSC) of 20.7 mA/cm2 and open circuit voltage of 1081 mV. This enhancement may be attributed either to the interface surface engineering or plasmonic resonance of Au@SiO2 nanoparticles depends to the NPs size and position.