Enhanced oxidization and corrosion resistance of silver nanowire based transparent conductor by nickel electroplating to obtain power conversion efficiency > 18 % in perovskite solar cells

Silver nanowire based transparent conductor is expected to be widely used in optoelectronic devices. However, when used in perovskite solar cells, it suffers from heavy corrosion caused by the lead halide hybrid perovskite. To solve the problem, nickel electroplating is used to modify the transparent conductor in this study. It is observed that nickel electroplating not only improves the conductance, but also upgrades the corrosion resistance and the oxidization resistance of the transparent conductor. In addition, SnO2 quantum dots are applied to flatten the conductor surface, while ITO sputtering is used to further improve the film conductance. After that, perovskite solar cells are fabricated on the modified transparent conductors. Current-voltage curves scanning under simulated irradiation shows that, power conversion efficiency of 18.37 % is achieved. Transient photocurrent / photovoltage decay curves and impedance spectroscopy tests show that, nickel treated transparent conductors could ensure efficient charge-extraction process, while retard charge recombination. Storage-stability of the devices is monitored, 80 % of initial performance is reserved after storage in dark for 432 h. The study paves the way for the application of silver nanowire basing transparent conductor in devices when heavy corrosion is involved.