Electrodepositing switchable photovoltaic window electron and hole transport layers

Vertical glass facade buildings, such as skyscrapers, have significant potential for generating electricity using solar window technologies, such as SwitchGlaze, a switchable photovoltaic window, containing a perovskite layer that absorbs visible and UV light. To commercialize these perovksite solar cells, it is essential to optimize electrodeposition, a scalably and controllably fabricate stable transport layers. This technique can then be used to fabricate back contact solar devices to decrease delamination occurrence and allow for more sunlight to directly interact with the perovskite and increase device efficiency. Nickel oxide and tin oxide, are promising transport layers due to higher stability and electron mobility, respectively. A three-electrode system was used to determine, in a range of 0.03 M to 0.1 M electrolyte concentrations, the electrodeposition times, current densities, and annealing times would electrodeposit that produced most uniform, least surface roughness, and thinnest transport layers. Initial results have produced solar cell devices up to about 12% efficiency.